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KLM chief executive Marjan Rintel has expressed her frustration over delays to the Airbus A350 freighter programme and its impact on the airline’s operations at Schiphol Airport.
Speaking at a small roundtable meeting during the IATA AGM in Rio de Janeiro earlier this week, Rintel pointed to a delay of “more than one-and-a-half years” in the launch of the programme.
This was making operations at its main hub more difficult.
“The initial plan was 2026 and now it’s 2027, and that will influence our operation in a huge way because we still operate the [Boeing] 747-400 and we have noise restrictions and capacity restrictions at Schiphol, so it’s not helping if you need to fly with old fleet,” she said.
The Air France KLM Group originally placed orders for eight of the aircraft, with four destined for Air France and four heading to KLM subsidiary Martinair.
However, in March last year, the group said that it planned to reduce its orderbook for A350Fs from eight to six, cutting one aircraft from Martinair and one from Air France.
At the time, the Franco-Dutch airline group said that the decision to slim down its order had been made in light of production delays and following a fleet portfolio assessment.
“Air France-KLM constantly assesses its fleet portfolio to best balance future capital expenditures with commercial and operational efficiency,” a spokesperson for the airline said at the time.
“With this in mind, and in the context of Airbus’s announcement that the Airbus A350F Full Freighter’s entry-into-service would be delayed, the group has decided to adjust its order of the type, from eight to six Airbus A350F aircraft.”
The A350Fs will replace Air France’s Boeing 777-200F aircraft and KLM/Martinair’s Boeing 747-400F aircraft, whose leases can be extended to ensure the continuity of full-freighter operations.
At present, AFKMP Cargo operates two Boeing 777Fs and four Boeing 747-400Fs.
