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The years 1969-1978
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| Introduction
of Boeing 747 aircraft, first KLM widebody aircraft. |
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1969
Doubled order 747s
In its 50th anniversary year, KLM doubled its original order of three Boeing 747s to six. The enormous contours of its silhouette were drawn on the Schiphol platform to give the Dutch public an idea of what to expect when it arrived. Forty five DAF cars were parked on it for extra emphasis. |
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1970
Group photo USA
As the age of mass air travel dawned
with jumbo aircraft and cheap fares, ever larger numbers of the public
took advantage of the new opportunities. Some companies even took their
entire work force off to celebrate, such as garment manufacturer Coster
& Zoon which offered its staff a trip to the States on its fortieth
anniversary. The staff stopped to pose for a group portrait on the steps
of the Capitol. |
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1971
First Boeing 747
1971 was another 'ordinary' year in the life of KLM, beginning with the delivery of the company's first Boeing 747, PH-BUA 'Mississippi' in February. |
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1972
New Maintenance Hangar
Through the years KLM Engineering and Maintenance has acquired an excellent record for keeping planes at the peak of their performance, owed greatly to the high priority given to training for their maintenance engineers, but partly because of continual upgrading of facilities. KLM prepared for the arrival of the jumbo 747s by constructing a complete new maintenance hangar at Schiphol East big enough to contain a major soccer stadium. The first KLM Boeing 747 to undergo intensive maintenance in the new hangar in 1972. |
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1973
Orlandini succeeds v/d Wal
S. Orlandini was appointed to succeed
G. van der Wal as chief executive officer. |
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1974
Introduction FFF-Class
KLM was the first airline to do a
little extra for full fare Economy Class passengers by introducing its FFF
(Full Fare Facilities) service. This was the forerunner of the present
Business Class. The underlying philosophy was that a difference in product
goes with a difference in price. |
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1975
Horses do fly
In this year KLM welcomed its five thousandth horse on board. |
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1976
747 Combi-concept
Intensive use was made of the
flexibility offered by the Boeing 747 Combi right from the moment of
introduction. A complete cockpit section being loaded for a transatlantic
flight. KLM has always played a pioneer's role when it came to using
Combis. |
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1977
Tragic accident Tenerife
A sad year for KLM. The tragic
accident of the KLM Boeing 747 'Rhine' at Tenerife Airport cast a long
shadow. The victims were mourned at a moving ceremony held at Schiphol. |
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1978
NLM Cityhopper
KLM affiliate NLM Cityhopper started flights to Guernsey on the Channel Islands. In addition to the many business connections to important economic centers throughout Europe, a tourist destination was now added to the continuously expanding regional network. |
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pictures/information on this page have a copyright by KLM (See Legal
Notes) |
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