KLM Repaints Asia Subsidiary 777s With Standard Livery

KLM is repainting aircraft operated by its KLM Asia subsidiary back into the standard KLM livery, restoring the Dutch crown logo absent for decades. The first repainted aircraft, a Boeing 777-200 registered PH-BQF, flew to Malta on August 5 and returned with the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines name and crown on the fuselage. A second 777, PH-BQD, is now in Malta for the same work.

The airline said the change is meant to create more uniform branding and to allow the fleet to be deployed more flexibly across the network. KLM Asia was set up in 1995 amid tensions between China and Taiwan, when airlines flying to Taiwan faced possible restrictions on flights to China. The subsidiary let KLM serve both markets, and its aircraft carried 'Asia' instead of the crown, without the Dutch or EU flags. Cabin configurations were unaffected by the branding difference.