‍DALLAS — The first Air France–KLM flight operated jointly by both airlines landed at JFK with a KLM (KL) cabin crew and Air France (AF) pilots.

Pilots from AF will fly KL's Boeing 777-200 aircraft between Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport (AMS) and New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) for four months, since yesterday, July 16. These flights piloted by AF crew will continue until the end of the summer schedule, on October 25.

KLM’s first flight with AF pilots and KL crew, KL641, departed from AMS at 1:25 pm. “This collaboration will help KLM to operate its scheduled flights this summer. It supplements our capacity this summer, which is good for KLM as a whole,” said Maarten Stienen, COO of KLM. 

Air France-KLM Group Collaboration

Over the past few months, teams at AF and KL have collaborated to work out all the details, coordinate with internal and external stakeholders, including unions and aviation authorities, and ensure a smooth operation.

“I am proud that we have made this possible within the Air France-KLM Group. I wish all my colleagues on the route a safe flight and a pleasant collaboration.” Stienen said.

Amidst ongoing pilot and aircraft shortages, this arrangement helps ensure that pilots from both carriers are effectively deployed with adequate flying hours and sufficient rest periods.

The initiative also enables KL to optimize the use of the entire Air France-KLM Group's potential to operate its scheduled flights.