KLM announces winter schedule 2002/2003

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is seeking to strengthen the carrier's current position in the British market by increasing frequencies and capacity on various routes in the coming winter season, Sunday, October 27, 2002, through Saturday, March 29, 2003.

This winter KLM will additionally be re-adjusting its European and intercontinental operations to meet developments expected in both passenger and cargo markets during the winter season. KLM Cargo will be launching a new full-freighter service between Amsterdam and Budapest to serve the fast-growing Eastern European cargo market. Overall capacity will be expanded by approximately seven percent compared to the 2001/02 winter season. The latter was strongly influenced by the aftermath of the 09-11 terrorist attacks on the United States. Both passenger and cargo capacity will be at KLM's 2000/01 winter season level.

Growth in the UK Market

Low-cost operator buzz will take over operation of the five-times-daily London Stansted - Amsterdam round-trip service from KLM uk this winter. Stansted has become an increasingly specialized low-cost airport in recent years. The greater majority of passengers on this route is point-to-point traffic, with few transferring to onward flights beyond Amsterdam. KLM uk capacity released by this take-over will be utilized to increase service on other UK - Amsterdam routes which carry a higher proportion of passengers connecting to KLM's global route network based at Amsterdam Schiphol.

KLM service between Amsterdam and London City will be increased from 4 to 5 daily flights, operated by KLM uk with Fokker 50 aircraft.

KLM will increase the frequency of Newcastle - Amsterdam service from the 5 daily round-trip flights operated last winter to 7 daily, operated by KLM uk.
KLM uk will also operate more flights between Manchester and Amsterdam, increasing frequency from 7 to 8 daily round-trips. One more daily flight will be added between Aberdeen and Amsterdam, expanding service from 3 to 4 round-trip flights a day. This 4th flight will be operated by KLM cityhopper with a Fokker 70 regional jet, supplementing the 3 Fokker 100 flights operated by KLM uk.

This winter the 4 times-daily Fokker 50 turboprop service between Rotterdam and London Heathrow operated by KLM cityhopper will be replaced by Fokker 70 jet service. The switch in aircraft type will upgrade the product and increase capacity.

KLM uk will also expand capacity between Teesside and Amsterdam by replacing the Fokker 50 aircraft currently operating the 3 daily round-trip flights, with Fokker 100 jets.

KLM cityhopper will also offer Fokker 70 jet service on the 5 daily round-trip flights between Amsterdam and Bristol.

Fokker 70 jets will replace Fokker 50s on 3 of the 5 round-trip flights between Amsterdam and Cardiff.

Continental European route network

KLM will also be adjusting service to meet seasonal shifts in the European market outside the UK. 

In August 25, 2002, KLM will launch twice-daily commuter service between Stavanger in Norway and the Scottish city of Aberdeen operated by KLM cityhopper with Fokker 70 jets. This service will be continued through the winter season. The increase in frequency of Amsterdam - Oslo service from 4 to 5 daily round-trip flights introduced this summer will also be maintained this winter.
This winter, 1 of the 4 daily round-trip flights between Amsterdam and Vienna will be operated with a Boeing 737, offering more seats than the Fokker 70 currently operated on all four flights.

KLM's 6 daily Amsterdam - Brussels round-trip service will continue to be operated with the 80-seat Fokker 70 jets. Last winter this route was still partly served with 50-seat Fokker 50 turboprop aircraft.

Passenger traffic on several European routes traditionally rises in the summer season. KLM will meet the customary winter drop in traffic on these routes by operating smaller aircraft or by cutting daily frequencies. KLM's winter 2002/03 schedule will see 1 less daily flight on the Frankfurt, Munich, Paris, Nice, Rome and Gothenburg routes than operated this summer.

Intercontinental route network

KLM and Northwest will continue to operate their current 4 daily flights between their Amsterdam and Detroit hubs this winter.

The number of round-trip flights between Amsterdam and Johannesburg will be raised from 10 to 11 weekly by introducing a second flight on Wednesdays.
All 3 weekly round-trip flights between Amsterdam and Abidjan will be operated nonstop this winter. This improvement in scheduling is possible due to the August 15, 2002, launch of service to Abuja, KLM's third Nigerian destination.
The greater frequency of service to Beijing started this summer, increasing the number of weekly flights from 3 to 4, will be continued through the winter season.
KLM will operate 6 weekly flights to Tel Aviv in the winter schedule, serving the city daily except on Saturdays, with an intermediate landing on the outbound flight at Istanbul.

For the month of November, Caracas service will be temporarily reduced from 6 to 5 round-trip flights weekly. Flight KL 775/776 on Mondays will be suspended during that month only.

Though the number of weekly round-trip flights between Amsterdam and Almaty, Kazakhstan, will be reduced from 5 to 4, this is an increase in frequency from 3 to 4 flights compared to last winter.

In the coming winter season, as in previous years, flights may be canceled on an ad hoc basis in public holiday periods and the months of January and February, if required due to lack of traffic.

KLM Cargo

The changes detailed above provide KLM Cargo with an opportunity to expand capacity to several destinations during the winter season.

KLM Cargo is introducing 3 times-weekly Boeing 747 Combi service to Toronto this winter. The expansion of frequency to Johannesburg adds a 4th Boeing 747 Combi flight to and from this city. The number of weekly Boeing 747 Combi flights to New York will be raised to 12, and 2 more 747 Combi flights will be added to the Tokyo service per week.

From September 15, KLM Cargo will connect the fast-expanding Eastern European market with the KLM cargo network with a full-freighter service to and from Budapest. KLM Cargo will operate a freighter service to Budapest via Munich twice weekly from Liege, and once weekly from Amsterdam.
Following these changes, KLM Cargo will operate a total of 125 Combi and Freighter flights weekly.