KLM Founded: World's Oldest Airline Takes Off
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines received its charter on October 7, 1919, making it the oldest airline still operating under its original name. Founder Albert Plesman started with eight employees and no aircraft. The inaugural flight from Amsterdam to London on May 17, 1920, used a leased de Havilland DH-16 borrowed from Aircraft Transport and Travel, a British company. KLM bought its first planes the following year. Plesman's genius was recognizing that a small country needed global connections to survive economically. KLM pioneered routes to the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) in 1929, creating one of the world's longest scheduled services at 9,000 miles. The airline survived Nazi occupation, the loss of its colonial network, multiple oil crises, and the rise of budget carriers to reach its centennial in 2019.
October 7, 1919
107 years ago
Key Figures & Places
The Netherlands
Wikipedia
KLM
Wikipedia
airline
Wikipedia
Flag carrier
Wikipedia
KLM
Wikipedia
Netherlands
Wikipedia
William II of the Netherlands
Wikipedia
Anexo:Monarcas de los Países Bajos
Wikipedia
Leuven
Wikipedia
Quema de libros
Wikipedia
Monarchy of the Netherlands
Wikipedia
Geschichte der Niederlande
Wikipedia
William I of the Netherlands
Wikipedia
Aviation
Wikipedia
What Else Happened on October 7
The Hebrew calendar counts time from this date, which rabbinic tradition identifies as the moment of the world's creation. By anchoring religious life to this s…
The Hebrew calendar counts from a date calculated centuries later by medieval rabbis: October 7, 3761 BCE. They worked backward through biblical genealogies, ad…
Pope Mark died after a brief eight-month tenure, leaving the Roman Church without a leader during a period of intense theological friction over Arianism. His de…
A French admiral commanded the Genoese fleet at Modon in 1403 because Genoa had hired him—the republic was too broke to field its own commander. Venice won deci…
Uppsala University opened its doors to students, establishing the first institution of higher learning in Scandinavia. By securing papal authorization, the univ…
Spanish forces under Ramón de Cardona crushed the Venetian army at the Battle of La Motta, utilizing superior infantry tactics to dismantle their opponents' cav…
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.