KLM Cityhopper facts for kids
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| Founded | 1 April 1991 |
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| Hubs | Amsterdam Airport Schiphol |
| Frequent-flyer program | Flying Blue |
| Alliance | SkyTeam (affiliate) |
| Fleet size | 65 |
| Destinations | 69 |
| Parent company | KLM |
| Headquarters | Haarlemmermeer, North Holland, Netherlands |
KLM Cityhopper is an airline that flies shorter routes for its bigger parent company, KLM. Its main office is in Haarlemmermeer, North Holland, Netherlands. The airline is based at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, which is very close by.
KLM Cityhopper is part of the Air France–KLM group. It is also connected to SkyTeam, a big group of airlines. This airline flies many scheduled flights across Europe. These flights help connect passengers to KLM's longer routes.
Contents
How KLM Cityhopper Started
KLM Cityhopper began on April 1, 1991. It started flying planes in the same year. The airline was created when two smaller airlines, NLM CityHopper and Netherlines, joined together.
After this merger in 1991, KLM Cityhopper had the largest fleet of Fokker planes in Europe. These planes included the Fokker 50, Fokker 70, and Fokker 100. In 1998, KLM bought another airline called AirUK. This airline was later renamed KLM uk.
In November 2002, KLM brought all its smaller airlines under the single name of KLM Cityhopper. By March 2007, about 910 people worked for the airline.
Modernizing the Fleet
In 2008, KLM Cityhopper announced a plan to get new planes. They ordered up to 17 Embraer E190 aircraft. These new planes would replace their older Fokker 50 and Fokker 100 jets. Five Fokker 70 jets also moved to KLM Cityhopper from Air France.
The new Embraer planes started arriving in 2009. By March 2010, KLM Cityhopper had flown its last Fokker 50 flight. The airline then began to slowly remove its older Fokker 100 jets. More Embraer jets were ordered in 2012. This allowed KLM Cityhopper to stop using the last five Fokker 100 aircraft.
In 2013, KLM Cityhopper put new, slim leather seats in its Fokker 70 planes. They also changed the seating on all Fokker and Embraer planes. This created three different cabin areas: Business Class, Premium Economy, and Economy.
Also in 2013, the airline agreed to lease six more Embraer E190 jets. These planes arrived between late 2013 and April 2014. This also meant that seven Fokker 70 aircraft would be retired earlier than planned. On April 30, 2014, KLM Cityhopper received its 28th Embraer E190. This made it the biggest operator of this type of plane in Europe.
A new look for the planes was also launched on the same day. The aircraft arriving in Amsterdam had a new "smiling Dolphin" design. This new look was created by KLM designers. It would be painted on all KLM Cityhopper and KLM aircraft over time.
Expanding Destinations
Since 2014, KLM started adding new shorter routes to its network. Most of these new routes were flown by KLM Cityhopper. Some of the new places included Bilbao, Turin, Zagreb, and Kraków.
KLM Cityhopper also increased flights from places like Bristol and Leeds-Bradford. They started using the larger Embraer E190 planes instead of the Fokker 70. In December 2015, KLM announced new KLM Cityhopper flights to Southampton, Inverness, and Genoa. These new flights began in spring 2016.
In 2015, KLM Cityhopper decided that the Embraer E175+ would replace all its Fokker 70 planes. The last Fokker 70 was scheduled to leave the fleet on October 29, 2017. This deal with Embraer meant the Fokker 70 planes would be retired faster. It also brought two more Embraer E190 aircraft, making that fleet 30 planes in total.
The first Embraer E175+ was delivered on March 20, 2016. It started flying on routes that used to have Fokker 70s. Pilots and cabin crew trained on the Embraer E190 could easily fly the Embraer E175+ after a short training session. The Embraer E175+ has improved winglets and other design changes.
On January 13, 2016, KLM Cityhopper confirmed orders for two more Embraer aircraft. This brought the total order for the E175 to 17 planes. By March 2016, KLM Cityhopper became the largest European airline to operate the Embraer E170/190 jet family. Today, KLM Cityhopper has one of the newest regional jet fleets in the world. On February 23, 2021, KLM Cityhopper received its first E195-E2.
About the Company
Ownership and Offices
KLM Cityhopper is fully owned by KLM. KLM itself is part of the larger Air France–KLM Group.
The main office for KLM Cityhopper is in the Convair Building. This building is located at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Schiphol-Oost, Haarlemmermeer. The Convair Building also has offices for KLM Recruitment Services.
Company Look
The way KLM Cityhopper looks is very similar to its parent company, KLM. Its planes have the KLM crown logo with "Cityhopper" added after it. They do not have "The Flying Dutchman" or "Royal Dutch Airlines" written on them. A new style of writing was introduced in 2010. In May 2014, KLM Cityhopper also updated the look of its planes.
Where KLM Cityhopper Flies
Many of KLM's flights within Europe are flown by both KLM and KLM Cityhopper. The routes can change depending on the season. For example, a route might be flown by a KLM Boeing 737 in one season and by a KLM Cityhopper plane in another.
KLM Cityhopper used to have five bases in the UK for its crews. These were taken over when KLM bought Air UK. This meant many British pilots and cabin crew flew KLM Cityhopper flights from the UK and the Netherlands. However, all UK bases for cabin crew closed in 2017. The last pilot-only bases closed in May 2020.
The Fleet of Planes
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Current Aircraft
As of October 2023, KLM Cityhopper uses the following types of aircraft:
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J | Y+ | Y | Total | Refs | ||||
| Embraer E175 | 17 | – | 20 | 8 | 60 | 88 | ||
| Embraer E190 | 30 | – | 20 | 8 | 72 | 100 | One (PH-EZX) painted in the SkyTeam livery. | |
| Embraer E195-E2 | 18 | 7 | 20 | 8 | 104 | 132 | Deliveries from 2021 to 2024. Order includes further 10 options. |
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| Total | 65 | 7 | ||||||
Government Aircraft
KLM Cityhopper also used to operate a special Fokker 70 aircraft. This plane, with registration PH-KBX, was used by the Dutch Government and the royal family. Interestingly, H.M. King Willem-Alexander himself often flew this plane. It was sold in 2017. A Boeing 737 called PH-GOV now replaces it and is operated by KLM.
Past Aircraft
When KLM Cityhopper started in 1991, most of its planes were made by Fokker. These planes have since been replaced by more efficient Embraer E-Jets. The last Fokker plane was retired on October 28, 2017. Today, the airline's fleet is made up entirely of Embraer E-195 E2s, E-190s, and E-175s.
| Aircraft | Number | Introduced | Retired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fokker F28-4000 | Unknown | 1978 | 1996 |
| Fokker 50 | 23 | 1991 | 2010 |
| Fokker 70 | 26 | 1995 | 2017 |
| Fokker 100 | 22 | 1991 | 2012 |
| Saab 340B | 13 | 1991 | 1998 |
What to Expect on Board
In-flight Services
KLM Cityhopper offers free drinks and snacks on all its flights. You cannot buy duty-free products on board.
Passengers in Business Class get breakfast boxes, sandwiches, or dinner salads. They also get bar service. Economy Class passengers receive sandwiches or a drink and a free snack. What they get depends on the time of day and how long the flight is.
KLM Cityhopper offers two types of cabin service on its flights. These are Europe Business Class and Europe Economy. Business Class seats are usually in the front rows of the plane. The number of rows for Business Class can change based on how many tickets are sold.
Since 2011, KLM has kept the middle seats empty in Business Class on its shorter flights. This gives Business Class passengers more space and comfort. For example, on Fokker planes, seats C and E in Business Class rows were not used. This meant a maximum of three passengers sat in each row. However, this seat blocking is not done on the Embraer E190 or E175 planes, which only have four seats across.
Since April 22, 2013, KLM started charging for checked bags on all European flights. This includes all KLM Cityhopper flights. However, this fee is waived if you have a Business Class ticket. It is also waived if you are a high-level member of the 'Flying Blue' frequent flyer program. The baggage fee is also not charged if your KLM Cityhopper flight is part of a longer international trip.
You can buy Economy Comfort seats on all KLM Cityhopper flights. These seats offer more legroom. They are also located closer to the front of the plane for faster exit. The number of these seats available can change depending on how many Business Class seats are sold.
Incidents and Accidents
- On April 4, 1994, a Saab 340 operating KLM Cityhopper Flight 433 crashed at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Three people died and nine were seriously injured. A warning light made the crew think the engine had low oil pressure. While trying to land, the captain decided to try again and gave full power to only one engine. This caused the plane to roll to the side, stall, and hit the ground.
Famous Pilots
In 2017, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands shared a secret. He had been flying as a co-pilot twice a month for KLM Cityhopper for 21 years. This included flying the state plane.
Images for kids
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A KLM Cityhopper Fokker 50 at Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik in its old design
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A KLM Cityhopper Fokker 100 in its old design
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A KLM Cityhopper Fokker 70 in the design used before 2014
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A KLM Cityhopper Embraer E190 with the design from after 2014
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See also
In Spanish: KLM Cityhopper para niños
