KLM Signs A321neo Lease with CDB Aviation

DALLAS — KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL), the national airline of the Netherlands, has announced that it will receive additional Airbus A321neo aircraft next year through a partnership with CDB Aviation.

Under the agreement, KLM will dry lease three A321neo units, which will supplement the existing order of over 100 A320neo family aircraft announced by the Air France-KLM group in 2021.

Peter Goodman, the Chief Commercial Officer of CDB, expressed that airlines like KLM, which have ambitious fleet renewal strategies, value the reliability and flexibility provided by lessors whom they can trust to execute their plans.

He further emphasized that lessors have had to employ innovative approaches to assist airlines in achieving their fleet expansion and renewal goals, particularly in the context of a swift recovery following the pandemic.

All three aircraft from CDB are scheduled to join the KLM fleet between September and November 2024, replacing the current Boeing 737 fleet.

For decades, the KLM narrow-body fleet has been dominated by the Boeing 737 family. Photo: Adrian Nowakowski/Airways

Drastic Boeing-to-Airbus Change

KLM, an airline that has historically favored Boeing commercial aircraft, has gradually shifted its trust towards the European aircraft market.

In December 2021, the Air France-KLM Group placed an order for 100 airplanes from the highly successful A320neo family. These aircraft were intended to be allocated between the two premium airlines based in Paris (CDG) and Amsterdam (AMS), as well as their low-cost subsidiary, Transavia (HV).

Recently, the first Airbus A321neo for Transavia France (TO) was unveiled after assembly in Hamburg (XFW), featuring a partial livery on the tail and sharklets. This signals that the commercial aviation industry will soon witness the introduction of the first of these 100 Airbus planes into service with the Air France-KLM Group.

Featured image: Airbus

https://airwaysmag.com/af-klm-airbus-a350-components-venture/