KLM first European carrier to operate the EMBRAER 175 with enhancements

KLM Cityhopper welcomed yesterday its first E175, from Embraer, at Schiphol Airport. The new aircraft will allow KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and KLM Cityhopper to continue their contribution to more efficient and environmentally friendly operations in which quality and passenger comfort hold an important place. The aircraft feature a new wingtip that, among other technical enhancements, improves aerodynamic performance. Fuel consumption on a typical flight is 6.4% lower than the original E175.

By 2018, KLM Cityhopper will ultimately have seventeen E175 aircraft. Alongside its thirty E190s, it will have the largest Embraer fleet in Europe. More or less simultaneously with the arrival of the E175, KLM will start the phase-out of its Fokker 70 aircraft which, according to current plans, will conclude in 2018.

“KLM Cityhopper serves fifty-seven European destinations for KLM and its partners. The fleet expansion programme is an essential part of the number of destinations that KLM has added to this summer’s schedule. Our dense, high-frequency network makes KLM and the Schiphol hub attractive to passengers and partners. What’s more, with our new fleet, we can be more flexible and, wherever necessary, we can expand our capacity." – Boet Kreiken – Managing Director KLM Cityhopper

“Embraer is pleased to have a continued and fundamental role in the fleet renewal at KLM and KLMCityhopper. The E175 will bring the enhanced comfort to which passengers are already accustomed in KLM’s E190 aircraft. With the best economics in its segment, the E175 will bring KLM greater efficiencies and the added benefits of commonality with the E190.” – Paulo Cesar Silva, President &CEO van Embraer Commercial Aviation

KLM crews can fly both the E190 and the E175 because the aircraft employ identical cockpits and call for the same procedures. The aircraft has the same configuration as the E190, the only difference being that the E175 has eighty-eight seats compared to one hundred in the E190.

The E175 is considerably more fuel efficient compared to the Fokker 70, thereby making it more environmentally friendly. It is 18% more fuel efficient so it produces 18% fewer carbon dioxide emissions. As a result, the E175 fits perfectly in line with KLM’s aim to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20% in 2020.

The first commercial flight will depart on 27 March, flying from Schiphol to Stavanger. Subsequent destinations will include Brussels, Ålesund, Torp Sandefjord, Turin, and Manchester. Ultimately, the E175 will fly to all the European destinations that KLM Cityhopper operates for KLM.