KLM outlines Airbus A350 rollout and freighter plans

KLM has received its first Airbus A350-900, the first of 22 the carrier has ordered, according to chief executive Marjan Rintel. The aircraft will be used initially to replace the airline's remaining A330s rather than to expand the fleet, with the last of the older jets due to leave by the end of 2027.

The first A350 is scheduled to fly between Amsterdam and Toronto from late October. A second example is expected before the end of this year, and a third in March 2027, Rintel said at a press briefing. Later deliveries will slip somewhat, and she did not give a firm date for them.

Rintel cited lower fuel consumption and reduced noise as benefits of the new long-haul type. She put the noise reduction at about 40 percent compared with the aircraft it replaces.

KLM also intends to modernise its air freight operation with the A350F and eventually retire its 747-400F freighters. Comparing the two, Rintel said the A350F offers roughly a 50 percent cut in noise emissions and about 40 percent less fuel use. Airbus has delayed the first A350F deliveries by around a year, to late 2027, but KLM still expects to take its first aircraft in 2028. Three of the freighters are to be flown by Martinair under the KLM Cargo brand.