News /KLM’s link booming
A PARTNERSHIP between Leeds Bradford Airport and airline KLM has seen more than 180,000 fly to Amsterdam in the past 12 months.
KLM currently operates three daily flights from Leeds Bradford to Amsterdam, including an early morning flight which allows local passengers to connect with KLM’s worldwide network of 150 destinations from their local airport.
Warner Rootliep, the general manager of Air France KLM in UK and Ireland met the new CEO of Leeds Bradford Airport, David Laws, to discuss KLM’s commitment to the region, before holding an event to thank top customers for their continued support.
Operating from Leeds Bradford since 1985, KLM is an established airline within the region, with more than 10 million passengers flying the route in the past ten years.
Last year, KLM upgraded its aircraft operating on the Leeds Bradford to Amsterdam route from Fokker to Embraer, resulting in a capacity increase of 10 per cent on each departure.
Around 40 per cent of passengers flying from Leeds Bradford finish their journey in Amsterdam while 30 per cent are connecting to European destinations and 30 per cent to long-haul destinations.
The majority of long-haul passengers are flying to destinations in Africa and Asia, with some of the local community also making use of the good connections via Amsterdam Schiphol Airport to North and South America.
Mr Rootliep said: “We are proud to be in a position to offer both business and leisure passengers in the Yorkshire area global connectivity from the convenience of their local airport.”
Mr Laws added: “We are proud to work closely with KLM and it’s great to see the success of the up to three time daily KLM connections to Amsterdam and beyond; ensuring that Leeds Bradford Airport connects the region with the world. The route is essential for leisure and business passengers and we look forward to working closely with KLM to further enhance and grow this very important part of our route network.”
Leeds Bradford Airport has had major investment in recent years, including the installation of the new bag drop facility and the addition of an extra security lane and new retail units.