KLM's history, the airlines of the KLM Group, and its fleet at the end of 2025, sourced from KLM and Air France-KLM, plus how to identify a KLM aircraft with AeroGaze.
By AeroGaze · November 7, 2026 · 6 min read
At 31 December 2025 KLM's own fleet was 122 aircraft (69 long-haul, 53 medium-haul) with an average age of 13.5 years, according to Air France-KLM. KLM was established on 7 October 1919 and says it is the world's oldest airline still operating under its original name. The KLM Group also includes KLM Cityhopper, Transavia and Martinair, and KLM is in the SkyTeam alliance.
KLM is the airline most people think of when they see a blue-and-white plane over the Netherlands, but the name covers several companies, and the fleet changes every year. This page sets out KLM's history, who is in the KLM Group, and the size and make-up of the fleet at the end of 2025. Everything is taken from KLM's and Air France-KLM's own pages (linked at the end), read on 7 November 2026. It does not list individual aircraft: neither those pages nor the Dutch register tie a registration to an airline in a way we can republish, and we would rather say so than guess.
KLM was established on 7 October 1919. The company says that makes it the world's oldest airline still operating under its original name, and it marked its centenary on 7 October 2019, which it describes as the first commercial airline still flying under its original name to reach that milestone.
KLM's own centenary article names some of the aircraft from its history: the Fokker F.II in 1934, the Douglas DC-4 in 1949, the Boeing 747 in 1975, and the Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner, which it called its newest aircraft in 2019. In 2004 KLM merged with Air France, and KLM describes the arrangement as one Air France-KLM Group, two airlines and three core activities: passengers, cargo, and engineering and maintenance.
KLM and KLM Cityhopper form the heart of the KLM Group, according to KLM's company profile. The group also includes two wholly-owned subsidiaries, Transavia and Martinair. KLM is a partner in the SkyTeam alliance.
In Air France-KLM's fleet report each of these appears separately: KLM, KLM Cityhopper and Martinair under the KLM heading, and Transavia France and Transavia Netherlands on their own. So when someone says "a KLM plane", check which company they mean. A regional Embraer and a long-haul Boeing 787 can both carry the KLM name but belong to different parts of the group.
At 31 December 2025, Air France-KLM reports that the KLM fleet comprised 122 aircraft, up from 112 a year earlier. Of these, 69 were long-haul and 53 were medium-haul, and all 122 were operational. The average age was 13.5 years: 12.4 years for the long-haul fleet and 14.8 years for the medium-haul fleet. Of the 122 aircraft, 49 were fully owned, 29 were under finance lease and 44 under operating lease.
During 2025 KLM took delivery of three Boeing 787-10s and eight Airbus A321neos, and one Boeing 737-800 left the fleet. KLM Cityhopper took delivery of three Embraer 195-E2s and removed seven Embraer 190s. At Transavia Netherlands, seven new A321neos arrived and five Boeing 737-800s left. Air France-KLM says the renewal continues in 2026 with more A321neo, A320neo and A220 for medium-haul, Embraer 195-E2 for regional flying and A350 for long-haul, although it does not break those deliveries down by airline on the page we read.
The per-type table on Air France-KLM's fleet page is published as images, so this page does not repeat per-type counts. Use the link at the end for the type-by-type breakdown.
The live tracker shows the airline and aircraft type for the nearest aircraft when that information is broadcast and known. For a Dutch-registered aircraft, the registry lookup shows the PH- registration, type and manufacturer details from the Dutch register. That register has no operator column, so a PH- registration alone does not tell you whether an aircraft flies for KLM, KLM Cityhopper, Transavia, Martinair or someone else. For the airline, rely on what the tracker shows for a flight in progress, or on the operator's own information.
If you want to see KLM aircraft up close, Schiphol is KLM's home airport. The runway map shows which runways face into today's wind, and the spotting guide covers where to watch.
The founding date, group structure, alliance and merger come from KLM's company profile and history pages. The 2025 fleet figures and deliveries come from Air France-KLM's fleet page (figures at 31 December 2025). The centenary details come from KLM's 2019 news release. AeroGaze is an independent site and is not affiliated with KLM or Air France-KLM. Fleets change monthly, so treat the numbers as a snapshot.
Established: 7 October 1919
Claim: World's oldest airline still operating under its original name (KLM)
KLM fleet, 31 Dec 2025: 122 aircraft: 69 long-haul, 53 medium-haul
Average age: 13.5 years (long-haul 12.4, medium-haul 14.8)
2025 deliveries (KLM): 3 Boeing 787-10, 8 Airbus A321neo
KLM Group: KLM, KLM Cityhopper, Transavia, Martinair
Alliance: SkyTeam
Checked: 7 November 2026, from KLM and Air France-KLM pages
KLM was established on 7 October 1919, according to its company profile. KLM says it is the world's oldest airline still operating under its original name.
Air France-KLM reports 122 aircraft in the KLM fleet at 31 December 2025: 69 long-haul and 53 medium-haul, all operational. That counts the KLM fleet only, not KLM Cityhopper or Transavia, which are reported separately.
Yes. KLM's company profile lists Transavia and Martinair as wholly-owned subsidiaries within the KLM Group, alongside KLM and KLM Cityhopper. Air France-KLM reports Transavia Netherlands and Transavia France fleets separately.
KLM is a partner in the SkyTeam alliance.
No. The Dutch register has no operator column, so a PH- registration shows the aircraft's type and register details but not the airline. For a flight in progress, the tracker shows the airline when it is known.
Schiphol is KLM's home airport. See the Schiphol runway map and the spotting guide for where to watch planes.