KLM adds 20% capacity to Asia in Summer Schedule

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is to launch services to three new destinations this summer: Kristiansand, Riga en Tbilisi.

The expansion of aeropolitical rights will facilitate strong growth in Asia, and the introduction of the Boeing 777-200ER will make it possible for the airline to deploy larger aircraft on many existing routes.

Total passenger capacity for the summer of 2004 has been set at 46 million available seat kilometers, which is 8% more than last summer. The summer schedule begins on Sunday, March 28, and ends on Saturday, October 30, 2004.

Europe

The new scheduled services to Kristiansand will be operated daily with Fokker 70 equipment from March 28. Riga will be served twice daily from May 31, also with Fokker 70 equipment.

An additional night flight will be operated to Barcelona, raising daily frequency to six Boeing 737 roundtrips.

Asia

Passenger capacity on routes to Asia in summer 2004 will be raised by 20% in comparison with the same period last year. This results from the expansion of aeropolitical rights and the recovery of traffic demand following the SARS crisis.

KLM will operate daily service to Tokyo, Beijing and Shanghai this summer, deploying the new Triple-7 on flights to Tokyo and Shanghai as well. Beijing will be served solely using Boeing 747-400 equipment.

KLM will begin operating three weekly roundtrips to the Georgian capital Tbilisi on June 15, 2004.

North America

KLM and Northwest will raise frequency between the Amsterdam and Minneapolis/St. Paul hubs from two to three daily services. The number of weekly roundtrips to Houston, which serves as partner airline Continental's hub, will be raised from seven to nine.

Weekly frequency to San Francisco will be raised from six to seven. Weekly frequency to Vancouver will be raised from five to seven. Capacity will increase on KLM's daily roundtrips to Toronto, because the MD-11 will be replaced by the Boeing 747-400 on this route.

Central & South America

KLM is to raise flight frequency to Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles during the summer schedule. During the peak season, Bonaire will be served eleven times weekly, Curaçao seven times weekly, St. Maarten two times weekly, and Aruba five times weekly.

Some of these services will be better aligned with connecting regional services operated by BonairExel.

Weekly frequency to Lima will be raised from five to six roundtrips.

Africa

In cooperation with alliance partner Kenya Airways, KLM will raise capacity on its hub-to-hub service between Amsterdam and Nairobi by replacing the MD-11 with Boeing 777 equipment.

Frequency to Cairo will be raised from five to six weekly roundtrips.

Middle East

KLM reduced the number of flights to the Middle East in the summer of 2003, owing to the war in Iraq. Since, traffic demand has begun to recover in this region, prompting KLM to add a fifth weekly service to Teheran as well as to Dammam/Doha.

Cargo

During the summer of 2004, capacity for KLM Cargo will grow by 11% year-on-year measured in available freight ton kilometers. At KLM Cargo as well, a significant share of this growth will be achieved on routes to Asia. This growth also results from deployment of a third Boeing 747-400 ER Freighter and introduction of the Boeing 777, which will serve to further boost reliable cargo operations.

Deployment of the third freighter has enabled KLM Cargo to increase frequencies to Hong Kong, Osaka, and Singapore/Malaysia. Starting March 28, 2004, KLM Cargo will increase frequency to Shanghai - in cooperation with China Southern Cargo - from four to six flights weekly.