KLM switching Boeing for Airbus in "cleaner, quieter, more economical" progam

KLM received its first-ever Airbus plane for short distances on Tuesday. The Airbus A321neo will replace the older Boeing 737s. The Dutch airline will eventually also replace its long-distance Boeings with Airbus planes. “The choice for Airbus was inspired by our ‘cleaner, quieter, more economical’ program,” a KLM spokesperson told NU.nl. “In the coming years, KLM will invest 7 billion euros in the new fleet.”

Until now, KLM has used the American Boeing 737s and the Brazilian Embraers for short distances. For long distances, KLM mainly flies with Boeing 777s, with the exception of a few old Airbus A330s.

“First, around thirty A321neos will arrive, four of which will arrive this year,” KLM said. “The A350 will also join the fleet in 2026.” These will replace the Boeing 777s and Airbus A330s. Eventually, KLM will also replace the Boeing 747 freighter with a freighter variant of the Airbus A350.

KLM said that its choice for Airbus, a company with its roots in France, has nothing to do with its French parent company, Air France-KLM. It is unclear if the recent problem at Boeing played a role.

The coming period will be quite costly for KLM, flying three different planes over short distances. “A pilot usually only flies one type,” the Dutch airline’s spokesperson explained. “That is a choice you make in the context of fleet renewal.” According to KLM, the noise of the A321neos carries a lot less far than that of the Boeings, and that is an advantage the Dutch airline couldn’t pass up.

KLM always names its planes in themes. The neo-fleet will get butterfly names. The first plane is the Queen Swallowtail. It will start flying for KLM in September, going to Copenhagen, Berlin, and Stockholm. Paris, Prague, and Vienna will follow later this year.