The further renewal of the European fleet with a new, more efficient generation of European aircraft is an essential part of KLM's strategy and restructuring plan after COVID-19. With this order for A320neo family aircraft, KLM has today taken an important step in the further renewal of the fleet and thus also making its operation more sustainable.
The order for the KLM Group is part of an agreement (“Memorandum of Understanding”) that the Air France-KLM Group has signed with Airbus for a total of 100 A320neo family aircraft, with an option for a further 60 aircraft. In addition to KLM, Transavia Netherlands and Transavia France will also receive aircraft from this order.
This A320neo/A321neo order will replace KLM and Transavia's current Boeing 2023 NG aircraft on European routes from the end of 737. After the previous choice for the Embraer 195-E2 for flights within Europe, this order is an important next step in the objectives of sustainability, customer experience, comfort and efficiency.
With this purchase, KLM is making its fleet considerably more sustainable. The Airbus A320neo family aircraft produce up to 50% less noise than the current older generation aircraft and provide a 2% reduction in fuel consumption and CO15 emissions.
By making this more sustainable, this purchase, together with the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and further operational innovation and efficiency, makes an important contribution to achieving the Paris climate goals. The reduction in fuel consumption reduces costs, which also gives more room to invest in the operation for a strong future. In addition to initiatives such as Fly Responsibly, KLM has recently aligned its CO2 reduction targets with the UN Climate Agreement in Paris.
Further details on the final choice of engines and exact cab configuration and equipment will be decided and announced at a later date. KLM.
This order for fleet renewal is an important next step for KLM in its objectives in the areas of sustainability, customer experience, comfort and efficiency. With the new aircraft, we are making significant gains in reducing CO2 emissions and noise production. I am pleased that by continuing to invest in our product, we are achieving improvements in efficiency and customer experience. Due to the corona crisis, we have had to focus on survival for the past year and a half. Fortunately, now that we are on the road to recovery, we can look ahead again. With this order, which is an important part of our restructuring plan, we further prepare our company and our customer experience for the future.
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Photo below and above: KLM image bank.
