KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has announced the launch of a new daily service between Southampton and Amsterdam, starting August 31.
KLM Cityhopper?s aircraft Embraer 175 with a total of 88 seats will operate daily flights between the two airports until October 24 and the addition of the Southampton route will offer a worldwide connectivity from 17 airports across the UK.
Services between Southampton Airport and the Netherlands flag carrier had been suspended for more than a year for commercial reasons. The new route which connects the south of England with KLM?s global network, via Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, is expected to boost tourism and business travel in that region. The airline will return to its pre-COVID-19 network by August 3.
Benedicte Duval, general manager for Air France KLM in the UK & Ireland said: ?After a particularly challenging period, we are delighted to be in a position to relaunch our KLM service from Southampton. As leaders of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, we are fully committed to sustainable recovery of the aviation industry.?
Mr Duval added: ?I firmly believe that offering more choice and better connectivity is good news for the travelling public, and I am confident that the new route will be well received by the tourism and business communities throughout the South of England. Safety is a prerequisite for KLM as we gradually resume travel and as we all adapt to this new environment.?
Derek Provan, CEO of AGS Airports which owns Southampton Airport, said: ?We are absolutely delighted to welcome KLM back to Southampton; to restore the hugely popular service to Amsterdam. We know from passenger feedback that this route is very much in demand. It is an important step in restoring connectivity to Europe, although we know that it will take a very long time to build SOU back up to where it was, following the loss of Flybe and the COVID-19 pandemic.?
KLM is gradually rebuilding its global network, opting to offer customers as many destinations as possible, and increasing the frequencies and capacity. By the end of this month, KLM expects to operate 80% of the normal number of European destinations and 75% of intercontinental destinations, which will increase to 95% and 80% respectively for August.
In response to COVID-19, KLM has introduced new hygiene measures to ensure the health safety of all passengers and crew, including the compulsory wearing of face masks. For an overview of these measures, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-2OOj9DyPE&feature=youtu.be
In addition, the cabin air is renewed every three minutes and the air recycling system on board KLM aircraft is equipped with High Efficiency Particulate Air( HEPA) filters, which is identical to those used in hospitals. For more information visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=DQeleaQJfoU
