- published: 29 Mar 2016
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Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V., operating under the name KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Dutch: Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij, pronounced [ˈkɔnɪŋkləkə ˈlʏxtvaːrt maːtsxɑˈpɛi], literally "Royal Aviation Company"; usual English translation: Royal Dutch Airlines), is the flag carrier airline of the Netherlands and is part of Air France-KLM. KLM's headquarters is in Amstelveen near its hub at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. KLM operates worldwide scheduled passenger and cargo services to more than 90 destinations.It is the oldest airline in the world still operating under its original name. As of 31 March 2010 (2010 -03-31)[update], it has 31,787 employees.
The merger of KLM with Air France in May 2004 created Air France-KLM, which is incorporated under French law with headquarters at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport. Both Air France and KLM continue to fly under their distinct brand names. Air France-KLM is part of the SkyTeam alliance.
KLM was founded on 7 October 1919,by Albert Plesman making it the oldest carrier in the world still operating under its original name, though the company stopped operating during the Second World War—apart from the operations in the Dutch Antilles in the Caribbean. The first KLM flight was on 17 May 1920, from Croydon Airport, London to Amsterdam carrying two British journalists and a number of newspapers. It was flown by an Aircraft Transport and Travel Airco DH.16, callsign G-EALU, piloted by Jerry Shaw. In 1920 KLM carried 440 passengers and 22 tons of freight. In 1921 KLM started scheduled services.