klm

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, or simply KLM (an abbreviation for their official name Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. [ˈkoːnɪŋkləkə ˈlʏxtfaːrt ˌmaːtsxɑˈpɛi ˌɛnˈveː], lit. 'Royal Aviation Company'), is the flag carrier of the Netherlands. KLM's headquarters are located in Amstelveen, with its hub at nearby Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. It is a subsidiary of the Air France–KLM group and a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance. Founded in 1919, KLM is the oldest operating airline still using its original name, having gone through significant changes in its ownership and legal structure over its history, including a period of majority government ownership. The company had a fleet of 110 aircraft (excluding subsidiaries) and 35,488 employees as of 2021. KLM operates scheduled passenger and cargo services to 145 destinations.

In 1919, young aviator lieutenant Albert Plesman sponsored the ELTA aviation exhibition in Amsterdam. Attendance at the exhibition was over half a million, and after it closed, several Dutch commercial interests intended to establish a Dutch airline, which Plesman was nominated to head. In September 1919, Queen Wilhelmina awarded the yet-to-be-founded KLM its "Royal" ("Koninklijke") predicate. On 7 October 1919, eight Dutch businessmen, including Frits Fentener van Vlissingen, founded KLM as one of the first commercial airline companies. Plesman became its first administrator and director.