Between mid-July and October, a special collaboration between KLM and Air France is taking place: Air France pilots are flying some of KLM’s widebodies on the route between John F. Kennedy Airport and Schiphol.
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This allows KLM to make optimal use of the potential of the entire Air France-KLM Group to operate its scheduled flights. The first such flight departed from Schiphol on July 16th at 1:25 p.m. as KL641, with Air France pilots and KLM cabin crew.
The joint flights include one aircraft on the route between John F. Kennedy Airport in New York and Schiphol, which will be crewed by Air France pilots. In total, this will last until the end of the summer schedule on October 25.
This is the first time that Air France pilots and KLM crew will jointly operate a KLM flight. Over the past few months, teams at Air France and KLM have worked hard to carefully work out all the details, coordinate many internal and external stakeholders, including unions and aviation authorities, and ensure a smooth operation.
“This collaboration will help KLM to operate its scheduled flights this summer. It supplements our capacity this summer, which is good for KLM as a whole,” said Maarten Stienen, COO of KLM. “I am proud that we have made this possible within the Air France-KLM Group. I wish all my colleagues on the route a safe flight and a pleasant collaboration.”