Published October 16, 2019
Maureen Ihua-Maduenyi
There are plans by the KLM to increase its capacity between Lagos and Amsterdam and Lagos and Paris to complement Nigeria’s economic growth, the General Manager, Air France-KLM Nigeria and West Africa, Mr Michel Colleau, has said.
Colleau, at a meeting to commemorate the KLM’s 100th anniversary, said the airline had been a partner in Nigeria’s progress for many decades.
According to him, the journey started in 1957 when the KLM first flew from Amsterdam to Kano in a flight that lasted for 52 hours.
He said the airline later added Lagos to its route network in 1961 and had been providing service between Nigeria and the Netherlands since then, recording about 400,000 passengers annually.
The Executive Vice President, Flight Operations of KLM Royal Dutch Airline, Mr Vincent van Hooff, said the airline, founded in 1919, had survived through loyal customers and committed employees.
“It is special for an airline to celebrate 100 years in its original name because aviation is not easy,” he said.
The airline said in keeping with tradition, it marked the anniversary with the presentation of a new Delftware miniature house, a replica of Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague, the home of King Willem Alexander and his family.
It added that the first copy of the KLM’s 100th Delftware miniature house was presented to the Finance Minister, Wopke Hoestra, by the KLM President and Chief Executive Officer, Pieter Elbers.
