KLM transports record 35 million passengers

Dutch airline KLM transported a record number of 35.1 million passengers in 2019, an increase of almost 3 percent compared to the year before, according to figures the airline published on Thursday.

The fact that KLM was able to grow despite the fact that Schiphol has been at the limit of its allowed takeoffs and landings for some time, has to do with a higher occupancy rate, among other things. More seats were sold per plane, leading to KLM's planes being nearly 90 percent filled last year, NU.nl reports.

Another contributing factor was that KLM scrapped and swapped less popular destinations for destinations that attract more travelers, a spokesperson said to the newspaper. "We also optimized the fleet," the spokesperson said, to make sure planes are matched with the routes where they can optimally be used. 

Transavia, a subsidiary of the KLM Group, transported 9.2 million passengers last year - a 4.4 percent increase compared to 2018. Transavia flies not only from Schiphol, but also from regional airports in Eindhoven and Rotterdam.