09-16-2017, 06:24 PM
New KLM owner DeVries has been spotted at Airbus HQ.
It seems that the fresh new owner of KLM has not been wasting time as she has been spotted at the Airbus HQ. No doubt she is planning for the future of KLM which she aimed squarely at growth and in some interviews since she stated that she does not fear to take on the giants, in her own words: "KLM has always been a successful middle sized airline, it operates a large numbers of smart routes with little competition and has been partnering up on busier routes to maintain those as profitable as well. However I believe we both have the means the location to become a lot larger, look at Schiphol it is a prime transfer airport with also plenty of origin and destination traffic and the number of airlines operating should make that truly and well clear. So yes I think we can do a lot better than we currently showing."
By taking those words into account it is clear she likes what is happening, but wants more of it, however today some one managed to tackle her outside of the Airbus HQ and she stated the following: "Yes I am here to explore opportunities for the KLM fleet. I can make it quite simple, but we have a quit e diverse fleet of various ages and I like to add and also replace quite a lot of it. Now I know that KLM traditionally has been a Boeing airline and I am certainly planning to talk with them as well, but the fact is that I want to push through a massive fleet renewal and that I want 1 point contact to do so. By picking either Airbus or Boeing we can keep our costs down and streamline our training and maintenance. To me the key is simply who can give me the best complete package order. What I can tell you is that most of the current fleet will be phased out as new planes come in, likely at the ratio of 1 plane leaving the fleet for every 2 added, that way we can both modernize our fleet and work on our growth."
So while it is clear she likes the way KLM picks it's routes, she is not to happy about the current fleet. Now of course there are ups and downs to flying 1 manufacturer or multiple, but that going with 1 is likely cheaper would be no surprise, but one does take an additional risk if say defects are found that ground a certain type. Say if you depend on dream liners and the whole battery item shows up or now with the hydraulics of the A350 you are in trouble to much greater degree then when you have 2 types of planes for the same role, then you only loose part of your fleet.
Anyhow looking at Airbus and the current KLM fleet, what planes could we expect to see. Currently they have 50 737 variants in service ranging from the -700 to the -900, to replace those it would seem likely they would go with a mix of A320 and A321neos. Both families of planes are really evenly matched and the nice thing is that the 737 series would sell quite well second hand considering how popular the type is. Of course the Dutch King might protest considering he just got his 737 type rating and the Dutch government just brought a 737 as it's governmental plane. That said it would be quite some time before the 737 family would be fully replaced and I am sure KLM would not mind paying for the King his training to keep him on as a pilot.
Looking at the long range they already have several A330 series planes which would likely stay around and some A350-900s on order which might be changed configuration wise, but that would be it. Now as for replacement they fly a mix of 777 and 747, now the 747 they fly in all PAX and combi variant which is already being phased out. Now I doubt that KLM would go for the A380 their business model of picking lower demand routes would not match it at all. What seems more likely is that we will see an expansion of the A350-900 orders and also some A330neos, both types largely match each other with a few difference giving KLM a few options and some redundancy in their long haul fleet if 1 type would be grounded.
It would all surely streamline their fleet, but one has to wonder how things would look if they went for Boeing instead. In that case we would likely see the 737max enter service and newer 777 series and more dream liners being added to the fleet. Speaking of those dream liners KLM still has outstanding orders and has been receiving great feedback on the plane so it is likely consider their age and specifications that these would remain in the fleet for a considerably time and if KLM would go full airbus they would be the last planes phased out. Either way the 747 will be the first victim of the long haul fleet renewal without question whether KLM picks Airbus or Boeing the 747 is going to loose out compared to the slightly smaller and more efficient twin jets.
It seems that the fresh new owner of KLM has not been wasting time as she has been spotted at the Airbus HQ. No doubt she is planning for the future of KLM which she aimed squarely at growth and in some interviews since she stated that she does not fear to take on the giants, in her own words: "KLM has always been a successful middle sized airline, it operates a large numbers of smart routes with little competition and has been partnering up on busier routes to maintain those as profitable as well. However I believe we both have the means the location to become a lot larger, look at Schiphol it is a prime transfer airport with also plenty of origin and destination traffic and the number of airlines operating should make that truly and well clear. So yes I think we can do a lot better than we currently showing."
By taking those words into account it is clear she likes what is happening, but wants more of it, however today some one managed to tackle her outside of the Airbus HQ and she stated the following: "Yes I am here to explore opportunities for the KLM fleet. I can make it quite simple, but we have a quit e diverse fleet of various ages and I like to add and also replace quite a lot of it. Now I know that KLM traditionally has been a Boeing airline and I am certainly planning to talk with them as well, but the fact is that I want to push through a massive fleet renewal and that I want 1 point contact to do so. By picking either Airbus or Boeing we can keep our costs down and streamline our training and maintenance. To me the key is simply who can give me the best complete package order. What I can tell you is that most of the current fleet will be phased out as new planes come in, likely at the ratio of 1 plane leaving the fleet for every 2 added, that way we can both modernize our fleet and work on our growth."
So while it is clear she likes the way KLM picks it's routes, she is not to happy about the current fleet. Now of course there are ups and downs to flying 1 manufacturer or multiple, but that going with 1 is likely cheaper would be no surprise, but one does take an additional risk if say defects are found that ground a certain type. Say if you depend on dream liners and the whole battery item shows up or now with the hydraulics of the A350 you are in trouble to much greater degree then when you have 2 types of planes for the same role, then you only loose part of your fleet.
Anyhow looking at Airbus and the current KLM fleet, what planes could we expect to see. Currently they have 50 737 variants in service ranging from the -700 to the -900, to replace those it would seem likely they would go with a mix of A320 and A321neos. Both families of planes are really evenly matched and the nice thing is that the 737 series would sell quite well second hand considering how popular the type is. Of course the Dutch King might protest considering he just got his 737 type rating and the Dutch government just brought a 737 as it's governmental plane. That said it would be quite some time before the 737 family would be fully replaced and I am sure KLM would not mind paying for the King his training to keep him on as a pilot.
Looking at the long range they already have several A330 series planes which would likely stay around and some A350-900s on order which might be changed configuration wise, but that would be it. Now as for replacement they fly a mix of 777 and 747, now the 747 they fly in all PAX and combi variant which is already being phased out. Now I doubt that KLM would go for the A380 their business model of picking lower demand routes would not match it at all. What seems more likely is that we will see an expansion of the A350-900 orders and also some A330neos, both types largely match each other with a few difference giving KLM a few options and some redundancy in their long haul fleet if 1 type would be grounded.
It would all surely streamline their fleet, but one has to wonder how things would look if they went for Boeing instead. In that case we would likely see the 737max enter service and newer 777 series and more dream liners being added to the fleet. Speaking of those dream liners KLM still has outstanding orders and has been receiving great feedback on the plane so it is likely consider their age and specifications that these would remain in the fleet for a considerably time and if KLM would go full airbus they would be the last planes phased out. Either way the 747 will be the first victim of the long haul fleet renewal without question whether KLM picks Airbus or Boeing the 747 is going to loose out compared to the slightly smaller and more efficient twin jets.