KLM has taken delivery of its 31st and final B737-800 NG aircraft.
The delivery also marks the end of production of the passenger version of the Boeing aircraft, although there are still outstanding deliveries for the military version (the P-8).
With this last delivery KLM now has 52 B737s in its fleet – 16 B737-700s, 31 B737-800s, and five B737-900s. All of the carrier’s B737s are named after birds, with this latest delivery (registration PH-BCL) being named “The Red-crested Pochard” (a type of large diving duck).
KLM’s subsidiary carrier Transavia operates a further 42 B737s across the -700 and -800 variants.
The first B737-800 entered service in 1998 with Hapag-Lloyd Flug, a German leisure carrier which later became a subsidiary of the TUI group.
Ryanair is the largest operator of the aircraft with over 440 in service – the Irish low-cost carrier took delivery of its last B737-800 in December 2018.
KLM said that this year it took delivery of four B787-10 aircraft and four B737-800s, while retiring three B747s and two B737-700s.
