KLM, the flag carrier of the Netherlands, marked 105 years in the air on October 7, 2024. The carrier, the full name of which is Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij (‘Royal Dutch Airlines’), was founded in 1919 and operated its first flight from Amsterdam to London using a De Havilland DH-9B converted bomber aircraft. The airline holds claim to the title of the world’s oldest commercial airline company still in existence.
As has become an annual tradition, as part of its 105th-anniversary celebrations the carrier unveiled a new Delft Blue House which will be handed out to its passengers. The small blue and white pottery houses have become highly sought-after items in recent years, with many KLM frequent flyers known to collect them as mementos of their trips with the carrier.
Since the 1950s, KLM has been distributing the little houses, which are filled with Bols Jenever liqueur, to its World Business Class passengers traveling on the carrier’s intercontinental flights. The houses are miniature versions of notable buildings with a special history in the Netherlands and elsewhere. Since 1994, a new one has been added to the collection every year on KLM’s birthday, October 7.
For the 105th anniversary, the latest design of Delft Blue House features a building with its own unique story. The design is based on the ‘Het huis aan de drie grachten’ in Amsterdam, a national monument that borders three of the city’s main canals – the Grimburgwal, the Oudezijds Voorburgwal and the Oudezijds Achterburgwal. Indeed, the Dutch name translates as ‘the House on Three Canals’.
The original mansion house on which the new Delft Blue House is based was built in the center of Amsterdam in 1610 in the Dutch Renaissance style. The location of the building adjacent to three canals gives it different angles, diagonal and straight, making it an interesting subject to be transformed into pottery form.
According to KLM, the house underwent a major renovation in 1909 and has become an “architectural masterpiece”. The architect involved in that renovation, Jan de Meyer, wanted to completely restore the canal house to its 17th-century state after it had been sold, divided, and renovated several times since 1687.
New window frames, stepped gables and, at the entrance, a sandstone door frame were added to the house. The interior was also included in the restoration project and the oak draught doors and marble floors were replaced. For many years, ‘Het huis aan de drie grachten’ was used as a bookshop and publishing house.
During the festive unveiling at a ceremony in Amsterdam, Marjan Rintel, the President and CEO of KLM, presented the first copy to Arthur van Dijk, King’s Commissioner in the province of North Holland.
Speaking at the event, Rintel acknowledged the significance of the airline celebrating its 105th birthday, which comes at a time when the carrier is facing a major cost-cutting and restructuring process to improve efficiencies and profitability.
The unveiling of a new KLM house on our anniversary is always a special moment,” said Rintel. “We are celebrating this anniversary in a challenging time for our company. However, in our 105-year history, we have often faced headwinds, and KLM has always shown itself to be creative and resilient in overcoming them.”
“Our goal is and remains a healthy and future-proof KLM. With the package of measures that we recently announced, we are laying the foundation for a strong KLM that will continue to connect the Netherlands with the rest of the world for the next 105 years,” Rintel concluded.