From 31st August, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will launch a new daily service between Southampton and Amsterdam. Flights will be operated by KLM Cityhopper, using an Embraer 175 aircraft, offering a total of 88 seats.
Southampton Airport welcomes the return of the Netherlands flag carrier, following the suspension of the service in March 2019. The new route connects the South of England with KLM’s extensive global network via Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and is a significant boost for both tourism and business travel in the region.
Despite the major impact of the corona crisis on European aviation, regional connectivity is key to KLM’s strategy in the UK and the airline expects to return to its pre-Covid network by 3rd August. The addition of the Southampton route will further strengthen KLM’s position with the airline now offering worldwide connectivity from 17 airports across the UK.
Benedicte Duval, General Manager for Air France KLM in the UK & Ireland said, “After what has been a particularly challenging period, we’re 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 the sustainable recovery of the aviation industry.”
“I firmly believe that offering more choice and better connectivity is positive 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, I can assure you that all KLM staff, both on the ground and on board, are truly committed to guaranteeing our passengers the highest levels of health & safety.”
Welcoming the new route, 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.
“This is a really 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 pandemic.”
KLM is gradually rebuilding its global network, opting to first offer customers as much choice of destinations as possible and then increasing frequencies and capacity. For July, KLM expects to operate 80% of the normal number of European destinations and 75% of intercontinental destinations. This will increase to 95% and 80% respectively for August. Opening the Southampton route fits with this strategy.
Fares for the new route start at £89 and flights are now available for sale at www.klm.com Customers can choose between Business and Economy class, with the option of extra legroom in Economy Comfort.
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 see video here
In addition, the air in the cabin is renewed every 3 minutes. The air recycling system on board KLM aircraft is equipped with "High Efficiency Particulate Air" or HEPA filters, identical to those used in hospital operating theatres. For more information, please view video here
Confirmed flight schedule between 31st August – 24th October 2020:
|
KL0919 |
SOU |
AMS |
17:20 |
19:35 |
|
KL0920 |
AMS |
SOU |
16:35 |
16:45 |
KLM and Southampton Airport remind passengers that the health and safety of their customers and staff is an absolute priority. Teams are fully mobilized to ensure the highest levels of health and safety for their customers and to ensure they travel in complete confidence.