KLM will grow its fleet following a lease agreement with CDB Aviation in the coming years.
Three Airbus A321neo aircraft will be dry leased to KLM to supplement an existing commitment that tallies over 100 A320neo family aircraft for the broader Air France-KLM Group.
The additional Airbus A321neos will be delivered between September and November of 2024, and KLM eyes a deployment on medium-haul routes through Europe, with the efficiency step to greatly benefit their operations.
KLM has a fleet of 112 in-service aircraft. Interestingly, though, some of its oldest aircraft types are narrowbodies when measured by average age, indicating a vital decade ahead for the carrier as it looks towards operating a more efficient and younger fleet.
A fleet of 737-900s average 21 years of age, while 737-800s sit at 16.7 years as an average age. It doesn’t get much better for the E190, which is at 15.3 years, and the 737-700 at 13.5.
Despite a significant commitment to the Boeing 737 series for its narrowbody operations, the switch was made by Air France-KLM to move towards the popular A320neo family to power future flying.
CBD Aviation is a global aircraft lessor that is a wholly-owned Irish subsidiary of China Development Bank Financial Leasing Co. IATA described the China Development Bank as the largest Chinese bank for foreign investment and financing cooperation.
