World's Oldest Carrier? The Fleet Of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines In 2022
世界上最古老的航母—— 2022 年荷兰皇家航空公司的机队
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is the flag carrier of the Netherlands and is one of the carriers claiming to be the world’s oldest carrier. Its main rival for this title is British Airways. Formed in October 1919, KLM is the oldest airline in the world, still operating under its original name, operating its first flight in 1920. On the other hand, British Airways’ claim stems from the fact that its predecessor, Aircraft Transport and Travel Limited (AT&T), launched its first international scheduled air service in August 1919.
荷兰皇家航空公司是荷兰的旗舰航空公司，是号称世界上最古老的航空公司之一。 它的主要竞争对手是英国航空公司。 荷兰皇家航空公司成立于 1919 年 10 月，是世界上最古老的航空公司，至今仍以其原有名称运营，并于 1920 年首航。另一方面，英国航空公司的声明源于其前身 Aircraft Transport and Travel Limited (AT&T) 于 1919 年 8 月推出其首个国际定期航班服务。
Whatever the case may be, KLM has grown dramatically in its 100-plus years of service, now operating a fleet of over 100 aircraft. The airline is also half of the Air France-KLM Group- a partnership that strives to maintain and gain European market share against Lufthansa Group, IAG, and various budget carriers. Today we take a closer look at the mainline KLM fleet- excluding its CityHopper subsidiary.
无论情况如何，荷航在其 100 多年的服务中都取得了巨大的发展，现在运营着一支由 100 多架飞机组成的机队。 该航空公司也是法航-荷航集团的子公司——该合作伙伴关系致力于维持和获得与汉莎航空集团、IAG 和各种廉价航空公司的欧洲市场份额。 今天，我们仔细看看荷航的干线机队——不包括其 CityHopper 子公司。
Big on the Boeing 737
在波音 737 上大放异彩
Starting with the airline’s smallest aircraft, KLM operates a fleet of 46 Boeing 737s with an overall average age of 15 years. These are the only narrowbody aircraft in the KLM mainline fleet. However, KLM’s lower-demand, short-haul flights are operated by its CityHopper subsidiary, which has a fleet of Embraer regional aircraft- which include the brand new E195-E2.
从该航空公司最小的飞机开始，荷航运营着一支由 46 架波音 737 组成的机队，平均机龄为 15 年。 这些是荷航干线机队中唯一的窄体飞机。 然而，荷航需求较低的短途航班由其 CityHopper 子公司运营，该子公司拥有巴西航空工业公司支线飞机机队，其中包括全新的 E195-E2。
As for KLM's Boeing 737s, however, the breakdown in variants is as follows:
然而，对于荷航的波音 737，其型号细分如下：
10 737-700s with an average age of 12 years,
10架型号为737-700飞机，平均年龄为12岁。
31 737-800s averaging almost 15 and a half years of age,
31架型号为737-800飞机，平均年龄将近15岁半，
And just five 737-900s averaging 20 years of age.
仅有5架型号为737-900飞机，平均年龄为20岁。
You’ll find KLM’s 737s flying mainly within Europe- whether it's short hops like Amsterdam to Paris or slightly longer journeys such as Amsterdam to Bucharest. The 737s also fly a few longer-range routes, such as to Istanbul and Tel Aviv.
您会发现荷航的 737 主要在欧洲飞行——无论是阿姆斯特丹到巴黎的短途旅行，还是阿姆斯特丹到布加勒斯特等稍长的旅程。 737 还执飞一些远程航线，例如飞往伊斯坦布尔和特拉维夫。
In April of 2021, the carrier announced that it would be completely renewing the cabins of 14 Boeing 737-800s, for both business class and economy class. The airline claimed that the renewal would offer passengers more comfort and style but also consume less fuel due to a 700kg weight savings per aircraft. The first refurbished aircraft has already gone into service. Carried out by KLM's Engineering and Maintenance division, this cabin transformation was completed in March 2022.
2021 年 4 月，该航空公司宣布将全面更新 14 架波音 737-800 的客舱，包括商务舱和经济舱。 该航空公司声称，由于每架飞机的重量减轻了 700 公斤，此次升级将为乘客提供更多的舒适和时尚，同时也将消耗更少的燃料。 第一架翻新的飞机已经投入使用。 此次客舱改造由荷航的工程和维护部门实施，将于 2022 年 3 月教交工。
KLM's only Airbus aircraft (for now): The A330-200 and -300
目前荷航仅有的空中客车飞机分别是 : 型号A330-200和型号-300。
Moving up in size, the airline has just 11 Airbus A330s averaging 13 years of age. This breaks down to six of the shorter -200s, which average 16 years, and five of the longer -300s, which average nine and a half years.
随着规模的扩大，该航空公司只有 11 架空客 A330，平均机龄为 13 岁。 这分解为较短的 -200 中的六个，平均为 16 年，以及较长的 -300 中的五个，平均为 9 年半。
These aircraft fly a diverse range of long-haul destinations, including select services to North America and the Middle East, as well as several cities in East and West Africa. KLM also deploys the A330-300 on its triangle service from Amsterdam to the Caribbean island of Sint Maarten and the Port of Spain on the island of Trinidad.
这些飞机飞往各种长途目的地，包括飞往北美和中东以及东非和西非的几个城市的精选服务。 荷航还在其从阿姆斯特丹到加勒比海圣马丁岛和特立尼达岛西班牙港的三角航线上部署了 A330-300。
With long-haul service as competitive as it is, KLM needed to do something to its aging A330-200s to attract and retain customers. To do this, the airline announced in 2018 that it had begun to refurbish the interiors of this A330 subfleet.
由于长途服务具有竞争力，荷航需要对其老化的 A330-200 采取一些措施来吸引和留住客户。 为此，该航空公司在 2018 年宣布已开始翻新这架 A330 子机队的内部。
This refurbishment saw all seats in World business class converted to full-flat models, with a brand-new inflight entertainment system. In economy class, seats were replaced and a new inflight entertainment system was installed.
此次翻新将世界商务舱的所有座位都转换为全平式座椅，配备全新的机上娱乐系统。 在经济舱，座位被更换并安装了新的机上娱乐系统。
Boeing widebodies: The 777 and 787
波音宽体: 777和787型号
When it comes to Boeing widebodies, KLM operates several variants of the 777 and the 787. There are 31 777s in the fleet with an average age of 12 and a half years. This divides into 15 777-200ERs which average nearly 17 and a half years of age, as well as 16 777-300ERs which are about eight and a half years old.
对于波音宽体飞机来说，荷航运营着 777 和 787 的多个型号。机队中有 31架 型号为波音777的飞机，平均机龄为 12 年半。 其中包括15架型号为777-200ER的飞机，平均年龄接近 17 岁半，以及 16架型号为777-300ER的飞机，平均年龄约为 8 岁半。
Slightly older than the airline’s A330-200s, the 777-200s received a similar cabin refurbishment a few years prior. A process that began in September 2014, KLM announced that it had fully completed the retrofit of all 15 jets by January 2016. With over 4,700 seats renewed with lighter materials and more advanced inflight entertainment systems, the airline said that each aircraft was made 500 kilograms lighter due to the upgrade. Along with its 787-9s, KLM’s 777-200s and -300s operate some of the airline’s longest routes in the network. This includes destinations in South America as well as East and Southeast Asia.
型号为777-200的飞机比航空公司的A330-200s飞机稍旧，几年前也进行了类似的机舱翻新。从2014年9月开始，荷航宣布已2016年1月完成所有15架喷气式飞机的改装。该航空公司表示，由于使用更轻的材料和更先进的机上娱乐系统更新了4,700多个座位，因此每架飞机的重量减轻了500公斤。其中不包括型号为787-9，荷航的777-200和-300飞机，这些运营着该航空公司在网络中最长的航线。这包括南美以及东亚和东南亚的目的地。
One aircraft type that has no need for a cabin refit just yet is the airline’s fleet of Boeing 787s. Averaging just over four and a half years of age, the carrier has 18 Dreamliners. This divides into 13 -9s which are nearly five and a half years old, as well as five -10s, which average just two and a half years. Indeed the 787-10s are the airline’s newest mainline aircraft. With just five -10s in the fleet at the moment, we are far short of the 15 that KLM said it would have by now. Indeed, this is what was stated in an official airline statement in 2019. Data from ch-aviation notes that five more 787-10s have yet to be delivered. Three of these already have Dutch registrations assigned to them: PH-BKH, BKI, and BKK.
该航空公司的波音 787 机队是目前无需进行客舱改装的一种机型。 这家航空公司的平均机龄刚刚超过 4 岁半，拥有 18 架梦想客机。 这包括13架型号为 -9的飞机平均机龄为5年半和5架机龄为2年半的 -10飞机。 事实上，波音787-10 是该航空公司最新的主线飞机。 事实上，787-10 是该航空公司最新的主线飞机。 目前机队中只有 5 架 -10，我们与荷航所说的 15 架相比还差得很远。 事实上，这就是 2019 年航空公司官方声明中所说的。来自 ch-aviation 的数据指出，还有五架 787-10 尚未交付。 其中三个已经获得了荷兰注册：PH-BKH、BKI 和 BKK。
New 787 deliveries on hold
新型波音787飞机的交付日期将被搁置
While a few undelivered Dreamliners remain for KLM, it’s two main factors that have prevented KLM from taking new 787-10s. First is the pandemic. The airline took four -10s in 2019 but only one in 2020, just before the health crisis emerged. Since then, no new deliveries of this type have taken place.
虽然荷航仍有一些未交付的梦幻客机，但阻止荷航采用新的787-10的两个主要因素。首先是疫情原因：该航空公司2019年交付了4架型号为-10的飞机，但在健康危机出现之后，也就是2020年，只交付了一架。此后，再没有新的交付。
The second factor is Boeing’s current issues with its ability to deliver new 787s. As we’ve covered in several other fleet-related articles, the US planemaker suspended deliveries in mid-October 2020 as it has been working out production issues with the FAA. There was a brief resumption in deliveries from April to June 2021, but things have gone quiet since then.
第二个因素是波音公司目前在交付新787的能力方面存在的问题。正如我们在其他几篇与机队相关的文章中所介绍的那样，这家美国飞机制造商在2020年10月中旬暂停了交付，因为它一直在与FAA解决生产问题。从4月到2021年6月的交货短暂恢复，但此后情况一直平静。
At the time of this article’s publication, deliveries of the 787 remain on hold- although there's talk of deliveries resuming later in 2022.
在本文发表之时，波音787 的交付仍处于暂停状态——尽管有传言称 2022 年晚些时候将恢复交付。
No more Queen of the Skies
“天空女王”称号逝去
KLM’s fleet has seem a dramatic shift in recent times. The biggest change of all? The carrier’s retirement of its Boeing 747 fleet. When the pandemic hit, KLM had been operating about two regular passenger 747-400s and six 747-400M combis.
最近，荷航的机队似乎发生了戏剧性的变化。该航空公司退役其波音747机队。新冠病毒来袭时，荷航 (KLM) 仅运营了2架常规飞机型号为波音747-400和6架波音747-400M。
The end of the jumbos began with a rumor in early March 2020 that KLM would be retiring all of its 747s early. As time passed, schedule data pointed to the rumor being true, with sources reporting that flight KL686 on March 29th 2020 would be the final 747-400 passenger service operated by the carrier.
巨型喷气式客机的结束于2020年3月初传的谣言，即荷航将提前退休所有波音747飞机。随时间的流逝，数据表明谣言属实，有消息称，2020 年 3 月 29 日的 KL686 航班将是该航空公司运营的最终 747-400 客运服务。
In April 2020, three of the airline's jumbo jets were temporarily brought out of retirement, but only to assist in the carrier's cargo-only efforts. As the Dutch government's need for medical supplies dwindled, the KLM 747 era concluded in October 2020. Data from Planespotters.net indicates that five jumbo jets are in storage while two went to Bermudian firm, Longtail Aviation. We can also see that in a very technical and legal sense, KLM still has three 747-400 freighters under its name. However, this trio of jumbo jets is operated by KLM Group member Martinair and its cargo division.
2020 年 4 月，该航空公司的三架大型喷气式飞机暂时退役，但只是为了协助该航空公司的货运工作。 随着荷兰政府对医疗用品的需求减少，荷航 747 时代于 2020 年 10 月结束。来自 Planespotters.net 的数据显示，目前还存有五架大型喷气式飞机，其中两架将运往百慕大公司 Longtail Aviation。 我们也可以看到，从非常技术和法律意义上来说，荷航名下还有三架747-400货机。 然而，这三架大型喷气式飞机由荷航集团成员马丁航空公司及其货运部门运营。
These days, if you want to fly as a passenger on a Boeing 747, your best bet is to book a trip with Air China, Lufthansa or Korean Air. All three carriers operate the newer 747-8i while Lufthansa is the only carrier of the three to have active passenger 747-400s.
如今，如果您想乘坐波音747作为乘客飞行，最好的选择是预订中国国际航空，汉莎航空或大韩航空的旅行。这三家航空公司都运营较新的747-8i，而汉莎航空公司是这三家航空公司中唯一拥有现役乘客747-400的航空公司。
Modernizing with Airbus narrowbodies
空客窄体现代化
Another big KLM change hasn’t actually happened just yet. We are, of course, referring to the airline’s decision to take on the Airbus A321 into its fleet. As part of a major Air France-KLM Group order announced in December 2021, KLM and Transavia have a firm 100 Airbus A320neo family aircraft on order. Additionally, the group has purchase rights for another 60 of these aircraft.
荷航的另一个重大变化实际上还没有发生。当然，我们指的是航空公司决定将空客A321纳入其机队。作为2021年12月宣布的法航荷航集团主要订单的一部分，荷航和Transavia已订购了100架空中客车A320neo系列飞机。此外，该集团还拥有另外60架飞机的购买权。
Unfortunately, the breakdown and distribution of this order between KLM and Transavia has yet to be specified, nor do we know the balance of A320 and A321neo aircraft. According to the airline, the first deliveries are expected in the second half of 2023. We’re assuming leadership will simply “play it by ear” when it comes to deciding on how many aircraft will go to each airline, and how many of each variant will be taken.
遗憾的是，该订单在荷航和泛航之间的细分和分配尚未明确，我们也不知道 A320 和 A321neo 飞机的平衡情况。 据该航空公司称，预计首批交付时间为 2023 年下半年。我们假设领导层在决定每家航空公司将乘坐多少架飞机，以及每种变体将乘坐多少架飞机时，会简单地 “见机行事”。
The decision to go with Airbus narrowbodies marks a huge shift for KLM - which has been, overall, more of a Boeing-dominant airline. Indeed, in its decades of operations, the airline has never operated a narrowbody aircraft built by Airbus.
选择空中客车窄体客机的决定标志着荷航的巨大转变——总体而言，荷航更像是一家以波音为主的航空公司。 事实上，在其数十年的运营中，该航空公司从未运营过空客制造的窄体飞机。
In general, when we look at the two sides of the Air France-KLM Group, Air France has certainly been more on the Airbus side while KLM has more often gone with Boeing. Ultimately, however, it’s easier for the airlines to swap orders with one another given their close relationship.
总的来说，当我们查看法航-荷航集团的两个方面时，法航肯定更多地站在空中客车方面，而荷航则更多地与波音合作。 然而，最终，鉴于它们之间的密切关系，航空公司之间更容易相互交换订单。
At the time of the major Airbus announcement, Benjamin Smith, CEO of the Air France-KLM Group, stated:
在空中客车公司宣布重要消息时，法航荷航集团首席执行官本杰明·史密斯 (Benjamin Smith) 表示:
It is indeed quite interesting that KLM opted not to go for the Boeing 737 MAX. After the 737 program’s recovery and restoration after two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019, many airlines around the world have shown their restored faith in the MAX - including a large number of budget airlines and a handful of full service carriers and lessors.
荷航选择不购买波音 737 MAX 确实很有趣。在2018年和2019两次致命坠机事故后，737计划恢复，全球许多航空公司都表现出对 MAX 的信心——包括大量廉价航空公司和少数全服务航空公司和出租人。
KLM’s transition to the latest generation of 737s would indeed be minimal, considering its substantial fleet of older generation Boeing narrowbodies operated by the carrier. However, for reasons undisclosed, KLM has decided to modernize this segment of its fleet with Airbus aircraft.
考虑到荷航运营的大量老一代波音窄体机队，荷航向最新一代 737 的过渡确实是微乎其微的。 然而，由于未公开的原因，荷航决定使用空中客车飞机对其机队的这一部分进行现代化改造。
How will KLM modernize its widebody fleet?
荷航将如何使其宽体机队现代化？
When it comes to the airline’s future widebody fleet, it’s possible that KLM could eventually go for the 777X. However, considering the planemaker is only offering the larger -9 as a passenger aircraft, a modern replacement from Boeing might be too big to replace KLM’s aging 777-200s.
当谈到该航空公司未来的宽体机队时，荷航最终可能会选择 777X。 然而，考虑到这家飞机制造商只提供更大的 -9 作为客机，波音的现代替代品可能太大而无法取代荷航老化的 777-200。
The airline could just opt for more 787-10s, but the range of the similarly-sized jet is lacking when compared to the 777-200ER. Indeed, the 787-10’s maximum range is 2,000-3,000 kilometers shorter. The 787-9 has a better range, but this, of course, comes at the cost of passenger capacity.
该航空公司可以选择更多的787-10，但与777-200ER相比，缺乏类似尺寸的喷气式飞机的航程。实际上，787-10的最大航程缩短了2,000-3,000公里。787-9的航程更好，但这当然是以载客量为代价的。
Close behind on the retirement and replacement schedule are the airline’s Airbus A330-200s. The closest aircraft in size from Boeing is the 787-8, which would indeed be a good fit considering KLM’s existing 787 fleet. However, the near-identically-sized A330-800 could also be an option as an easy replacement. As we’ve discussed in previous articles, the -800 is by far Airbus’ least popular widebody currently being offered. According to Airbus’ most recent orders and deliveries data, the planemaker now has just 11 A330-800s ordered. With four delivered, two are with Kuwait Airways and another two are with Uganda Airlines. It would be nice to see this aircraft get more orders but many airlines have simply opted to move up to the A330-900 instead.
该航空公司的空客A330-200s紧随其后。与波音公司规模最接近的飞机是787-8，考虑到荷航现有的787机队，这确实是一个不错的选择。然而，几乎同样大小的A330-800飞机也可以作为一种简单的替代选择。正如我们在之前的文章中讨论的那样，-800型号的飞机是迄今为止空中客车公司目前最不受欢迎的宽体。根据空中客车公司的最新订单和交付数据，飞机制造商现在仅订购了11台A330-800s。交付了四架，其中两架是科威特航空公司的，另外两架是乌干达航空公司的。很高兴看到这架飞机获得更多订单，但许多航空公司只是选择了上升到A330-900。
Will the Flying-V ever exist to join KLM?
Flying-V会加入荷航吗？
In the far future, it’s possible that KLM could be the first airline to operate a Flying-V aircraft. The airline, in cooperation with Delft University of Technology has issued a few public statements on the progress of designing this incredibly unconventional airframe.
在不久的将来，荷航有可能成为第一家运营Flying-V飞机的航空公司。该航空公司与代尔夫特理工大学合作，就这款令人难以置信的非常规机身的设计进展发表了一些公开声明。
However, given the slow progress of bringing any clean-sheet aircraft to market - even conventional designs - the odds are seemingly stacked against the Flying-V ever becoming a full-scale, operational reality. But of course, we’d love to be proven wrong! Having such an unconventional aircraft in the KLM fleet would make it one of the most unique fleets in the world. We’ll just have to wait and see…
然而，考虑到将任何全新飞机推向市场的缓慢进展——即使是传统设计——Flying-V 成为全面运营现实的可能性似乎越来越大。 但是，当然，我们很乐意被证明是错误的！ 在荷航机队中拥有如此非传统的飞机将使其成为世界上最独特的机队之一。 我们只需要拭目以待……
Ultimately, when compared to the fleets of other airlines that we’ve covered in the past, KLM’s collection of jets is indeed on the smaller side. However, the fleet’s composition and recent changes have made it a fairly interesting carrier to examine- particularly as it relates to the ongoing rivalry between Airbus and Boeing.
归根结底，与我们过去报道的其他航空公司的机队相比，荷航的喷气式飞机系列确实偏小。 然而，机队的组成和最近的变化使其成为一个相当有趣的航空公司，特别是因为它与空客和波音之间持续的竞争有关。
The carrier has already made one big change towards Airbus and away from Boeing, and we’ll just have to wait and see which direction it goes to replace its older widebodies…
这家航空公司已经对空中客车公司和波音公司做出了重大改变，我们只能拭目以待，看看它会朝哪个方向更换旧的宽体飞机……
What do you think KLM's future widebody fleet will look like? Let us know by leaving a comment!
您认为荷航未来的宽体机队会是什么样子？ 通过发表评论让我们知道！
