On Monday, Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM) announced that it will be operating nonstop flights to 167 destinations throughout the world this summer. The airline is increasing capacity to European destinations by 10% compared to 2021 and is increasing service to intercontinental destinations by 17%.

COVID restrictions are being lifted

COVID restrictions are being lifted worldwide, paving the way for passengers to resume international travel. As of today, passengers traveling to the Netherlands from European Union/Schengen Area countries can enter the country restriction-free, regardless of vaccination status.

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KLM recently celebrated 100 years of operation. Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

On Friday, the United Kingdom lifted all travel restrictions that had been in place due to COVID-19. Ireland lifted its restrictions on the 6th of March. The lifting of restrictions is starting to become a pattern worldwide, allowing airlines to expand their summer schedules. So what exactly is KLM doing this summer? Let's have a look.

Summer is coming

Although the first day of spring was this week for countries in the Northern Hemisphere, airlines are ramping up their schedules and getting ready for the IATA summer season, which begins this weekend.

"With direct flights to 167 destinations, KLM is ready for summer. Between 27 March and 29 October, KLM will fly to 96 European and 71 intercontinental destinations, offering excellent choice for business and leisure travellers alike." - KLM

Europe - KLM has expanded its European routes, which will bring its European summer capacity to 16 million passengers. This is a 10% increase from last year and almost matches the pre-pandemic levels of 2019. Portugal is a very popular summer destination because of its beautiful beaches and excellent summer climate. KLM sees the perfect opportunity to increase service to Lisbon (Portugal's capital) and Porto. The airline will operate three daily flights to Porto and four to Lisbon. These are just two of the European destinations that will see an increase in KLM services.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

The cities of Belgrade, Dubrovnik and Palma de Mallorca were added to KLM's route network last year. Because of the success of the new destinations, KLM announced that it would continue service to these three cities. The airline also anticipates a rebound in business travel, and because of this, it has added frequencies to British, German, and Polish routes.

Intercontinental - There has been a rising trend in bookings, which led KLM to increase its intercontinental schedule by 17%.

"...we will be operating direct services this summer to 12 destinations in the USA, the highest number ever." - KLM

KLM's capacity matches pre-pandemic levels and even beats them. The airline resumed services to Salt Lake City and added Austin to its network.

"Austin, the state capital of Texas, is a flourishing technology hub and home to a large number of technology companies. It is also a thriving student city with a vibrant nightlife, Formula 1 and the major South by Southwest annual festival (SXSW). KLM operates three flights a week to Austin."

Atlanta airport
Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson is the busiest airport in the world and is looking for new technology to help people with reduced mobility. Photo: Atlanta Airport

Below are the 12 American destinations, the frequency of operations, and the aircraft used on the route:

  • Atlanta (ATL) / daily / Boeing 777-300ER
  • Austin (AUS) / 3 times weekly / Boeing 787-9
  • Boston (BOS) / 4 times weekly / Airbus A330-300
  • Washington Dulles (IAD) / daily / Airbus A330-300
  • Houston – Intercontinental (IAH) / 6 times weekly / Boeing 787-9
  • New York (JFK) / 19 times weekly / Boeing 777-200ER, 787-9, 787-10.
  • Las Vegas (LAS) / 5 times weekly / Boeing 787-9
  • Los Angeles (LAX) / 13 times weekly / Boeing 777-200ER, 787-9, 787-10
  • Minneapolis (MSP) / 4 times weekly / Airbus A330-300
  • Chicago O’ Hare (ORD) / 6 times weekly / Boeing 777-200ER, 787-10
  • San Francisco (SFO) / 10 times weekly / Boeing 777-200ER, 787-10
  • Salt Lake City (SLC) / 3 times weekly / Boeing 787-9

KLM is increasing flights worldwide, with the Caribbean being a pretty popular region. The airline will operate daily flights to Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. During the summertime, Curaçao will see two daily flights from KLM. KLM recently added a tropical destination to its winter schedule, which it will keep for its summer schedule, Port of Spain. Passengers will be offered three weekly flights from Amsterdam to the capital of Trinidad and Tobago.

Many Asian countries have not begun lifting travel restrictions, but a few countries have, leading KLM to increase service to select Asian destinations. The Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Bali are all experiencing an increase in demand for travelers. India has also indicated that it will be easing restrictions, and KLM will be increasing service to Delhi and Mumbai.

"Asia continues to be a strong and important market for cargo, allowing us to continue to operate lower frequency services to all pre-pandemic destinations." - KLM

Although many countries are lifting COVID travel restrictions, some are not, and KLM cannot resume regular service to a few destinations. China is one of the destinations to which KLM will not continue regular service. Because of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, KLM is not flying through Russian airspace, and its flights to/from South Korea, Japan, and China are taking an average of two hours longer than usual. Flights to Japan and China are making a stop in Seoul.

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The São Paulo - Guarulhos International airport in Brasil is the largest airport in Latin America and receives daily KLM flights from Amsterdam. Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

Most flights to South America are at pre-pandemic capacity, with daily flights to São Paulo, Panama City, and Lima. KLM also has a minimum of six weekly flights to Quito/Guayaquil, Bogota/Cartagena, Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires/Santiago de Chile.

This summer, KLM will offer service to 10 African destinations Zanzibar, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Accra, Lagos, Kigali, Entebbe, Nairobi, Kilimanjaro, and Dar es Salaam.

WIll you be flying KLM this summer? Let us know in the comments.