Airbus Delivers First A350 To KLM

Airbus has delivered the first A350-900 to KLM after lengthy delays, public frustrations and persistent pushback of the scheduled service launch.

The aircraft arrived at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) on 2 October, 2026, and marks the start of the airline’s long-haul fleet renewal, in which the Airbus widebody will play a key role.

The arrival of the Airbus A350-900 is set to help reshape KLM by introducing a new widebody for passenger operations, while also enabling the retirement of older, less efficient twin-engine jets to cut costs as fuel prices soar year on year.

KLM will begin deploying the Airbus A350 to Toronto, and as more are delivered, the airline intends to expand the number of cities welcoming the aircraft. With a service launch expected within weeks, Montreal, Kilimanjaro, Dar es Salaam, Nairobi and Zanzibar are all cities expected to welcome the type after Toronto.

A350-900 finally arrives into KLM hands

The arrival of the Airbus A350 in Schiphol marks the end of what has been a lengthy battle for KLM in the acquisition of its first widebody from this family and fundamentally a shift in how operators.

KLM has historically relied heavily on Boeing for widebody jets. While the A330 features in the business, the Boeing 777-200ERs, 777-300ERs, 787-9s, and 787-10s have done the bulk of the work, with the 747s departing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bringing on the Airbus A350, intended to replace part of the Boeing long-haul fleet over the coming years, represents a shift toward a dual-manufacturer strategy across the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 families.

Named the Night Watch, after Rembrandt van Rijn’s painting held at Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum, the first A350-900 will be joined by Girl with a Pearl Earring, the second unit continuing a theme of well-known Dutch artworks.

Selecting Toronto as the first city to welcome the A350-900 was an easy decision for KLM. The Amsterdam (AMS) – Toronto (YYZ) route is fiercely competitive, thanks to Air Canada and its joint venture partner, Delta Air Lines, through the SkyTeam transatlantic network.

By choosing Toronto first, KLM gives the Canadian city a chance to experience the new era of its international flying, and deploying to East Africa and beyond shows how it will leverage these capabilities across a mix of high-volume markets, whether to North America or Africa.

World Business Class seat still presents problems for KLM

KLM has exercised a great degree of patience in the process of awaiting the delivery of the first Airbus A350-900, and while the handover has now been successful, it comes with a catch, and it’s a large cause for concern.

For months, KLM has battled with the certification of its new World Business Class seats, critical for the high-paying customers, its brand image and a key component of the airline’s new era for widebody operations, but these are, in their current state, uncertified and thus cannot be sold to customers.

KLM has issued a fresh update, confirming the European Union Aviation Safety Agency has now approved the seats based on its test results. As a result, the formal certification process can begin for the 34 seats on each aircraft.

Despite this progress, it is not the final certification, but another step in the right direction that leaves the aircraft in its current state without the approval needed to allow passengers to board in the highest-paying class associated with brand loyalty and revenue.

As a result, albeit delayed and coming after the first aircraft has been handed over, KLM is being watched closely as it prepares to introduce the A350 into service and what that means for World Business Class across long-haul routes.

While the aircraft gives KLM a more efficient platform and paves the way for retiring older, less efficient airframes, frustrations from travellers eagerly awaiting the debut will become more public without certification for its flagship World Business Class.