KLM will return to Newark next summer, according to a source. However, it hasn't been officially announced and isn't yet scheduled or bookable. If it happens, it'll be KLM's latest route addition, joining recently revealed Aarhus and Katowice.

Newark seems to fit. While KLM served Amsterdam-Newark until 2008, fellow SkyTeam member Delta replaced it from 2010 until 2018. This is similar to Air France, which will resume flying to the New Jersey airport in December following Delta's ending – also in 2018.

KLM back to Newark?

The Dutch flag carrier served Amsterdam to Newark between October 2000 and January 2008. It typically had a 1x daily service – 2x daily in summer 2006 – and variously used the MD-11, B767-300ER, B777-200ER, and A330-200. The US Department of Transportation shows that KLM carried 769,223 passengers (point-to-point (P2P) and transit) with an average year-round seat load factor of 86%.

After a two-year gap, Delta launched the route in January 2010 and ended it at the end of winter in March 2018. Like KLM, it generally operated 1x daily, mainly by the B767-300ER but also the A330-200 and, much rarer, the B767-400ER. Some 957,549 people flew it.

While United continues to serve Amsterdam (and Paris CDG) from Newark, it mainly targets P2P and Americas-bound passengers. In contrast, KLM would focus on P2P and transit passengers over Schiphol, just like Air France to/from and over CDG, which are rather different markets.

KLM_MD-11,_PH-KCE@AMS,19.04.2008-508ae_-_Flickr_-_Aero_Icarus
As you can probably tell, this photo was taken years ago. The long-retired MD-11 was occasionally used to Newark. Photo: Aero Icarus via Flickr.

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The 21st destination

As of September 22nd, KLM and Delta will serve 20 North America destinations from Amsterdam next summer (beginning March 26th). In randomly chosen mid-July, the pair's network is as follows, organized by weekly flights from OAG. There will be 254 flights, equivalent to 36 daily. If Newark materializes, it's likely to be 1x daily.

Amsterdam to...

Weekly flights: mid-July

KLM flights

Delta flights

Aircraft (ordered by flights)

New York JFK

35

21

14

A330-300, B787-10, B777-200ER, B787-9

Atlanta

28

7

21

A330-300, B777-300ER

Detroit

28

0

28

A330-300, A350-900

Minneapolis

25

4

21

A330-300

Boston

18

4

14

A330-300

Los Angeles

14

14

0

B787-10, B787-9, B777-200ER

Seattle

14

0

14

A330-300

San Francisco

12

12

0

B787-10, B787-9, B777-200ER

Salt Lake City

10

3

7

A330-200, B787-9

Toronto

10

10

0

B777-300ER, B777-200ER

Washington Dulles

7

7

0

A330-300

Houston

7

7

0

B787-10

Chicago

7

7

0

B787-9, B777-200ER

Portland (Oregon)

7

0

7

A330-200

Montreal

7

7

0

A330-200

Vancouver

7

7

0

B787-10

Calgary

7

7

0

A330-300

Las Vegas

4

4

0

B787-9

Edmonton

4

4

0

A330-200

Austin

3

3

0

B787-9

Delta Amsterdam
Delta will serve eight destinations from the Netherlands, although none by the B767-300ER (in the foreground). However, the B767 was key on Newark-Amsterdam. Photo: Getty Images.
 

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18 long-haul airlines

Think Newark, think United. Next summer, the Star Alliance airline will have three-quarters of the airport's flights, according to OAG. It is, after all, a major hub and is especially strong domestically. However, other than United, 18 additional airlines (Star and non-Star) will operate long-haul passenger flights next summer – 19 if KLM does indeed take off.

Did you fly KLM or Delta from Newark to Amsterdam? If so, share your memories in the comments.