Today saw the symbolic transfer of the first of seven Fokker 70 aircraft from KLM Royal Dutch Airlines to Air Niugini, the national airline of Papua New Guinea. KLM will begin phasing out the Fokker 70 in December this year, at which time it will also welcome two new Embraer 190s.
Air Niugini previously purchased a Fokker 100 and a Fokker 70 from KLM, in September 2013 and October 2014 respectively.
Boet Kreiken, managing director of KLM Cityhopper, presented the Fokker 70 (PH KZF) to Sir Frederich Reiher, chairman of Air Niugini’s board.
Phase-out of the Fokker fleet
KLM operated its last flight with a Fokker 50 on 28 March 2010. The Fokker 100 was also phased out of the KLM fleet in 2012.
KLM took its first Fokker 70 into service in 1994. Between 1994 and 1997, a total of 47 Fokker 70s were built, as well as one prototype. The F70 was operated by 15 different carriers worldwide. KLM Cityhopper has the biggest F70 fleet, operating 18 of these aircraft through December 2015. Together, the Fokker 70 and its bigger brother, the F100, have racked up more than 10 million flight hours for KLM.
The average age of the Fokker 70 is almost 20 years, with each aircraft having operated an average of 37,000 flight hours and as many take-offs and landings.
Full Embraer fleet for KLM Cityhopper
KLM Cityhopper is Europe’s largest regional carrier and currently operates more than 100,000 flights a year from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to 54 European destinations. Once all of the Fokker 70s have been phased out in 2018, the KLM Cityhopper fleet will consist of 30 Embraer 190s and 15 Embraer 175s, which means KLM will have Europe’s largest Embraer fleet.
Amstelveen, 16 October 2015
This post was published on 16 October 2015 16:24
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