KLM Adds Airbus A321neo To Fleet, With 227 Seats

It’s a big day for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, as the airline has just taken delivery of its first Airbus A321neo, which represents the start of the carrier’s narrow body fleet renewal. The A321neo is an awesome aircraft, though the airline sure selected an “efficient” configuration.

KLM replacing Boeing 737s with Airbus A321neos

Back in 2021, Air France-KLM placed a massive order for up to 160 Airbus A320neo-family aircraft, including 100 firm orders plus 60 options. These planes are specifically intended for KLM and low cost subsidiary Transavia, as these jets aren’t going to Air France (which is instead focused on the Airbus A220-300).

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This represents a major development for the airline, as both KLM and Transavia have historically flown Boeing 737 aircraft for their narrow bodies, so this order was a big win for Airbus. There’s now an exciting update, as KLM has just taken delivery of its very first Airbus A321neo aircraft.

The first aircraft landed in Amsterdam today, and has the registration code PH-AXA. The plane should enter commercial service as of mid-September 2024, operating routes within Europe. The expectation is that three more A321neos will join KLM’s fleet before the end of the year.

The Airbus A321neo of course has incredible economics and unit costs, and it’s 21% more fuel efficient than the aircraft it replaces. The challenge is that since it’s larger than most other narrow body planes currently in service, actually filling all the seats onboard can be challenging. Low unit costs are only useful if you can get a decent load factor.

For context, KLM currently has a fleet of 42 Boeing 737s, which are an average of around 18 years old. This fleet includes the 737-700, 737-800, and 737-900. Just to give you a sense of how much more capacity the A321neo has, it has 25% more seats than the 737-900, and 72% more seats than the 737-700.

While filling so many seats may not be easy, this is probably the right plane for KLM regardless, given the extent to which Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is being capacity constrained in terms of takeoffs and landings.

Here’s another fun thing. KLM has long had a tradition of giving its planes unique names. There have been different themes over KLM’s 104-year history, ranging from names of members of the Royal Family, to bridges, to national parks. This time, KLM employees were allowed to choose the theme, and they decided on butterflies.

The airline views this as nicely tying in with the fleet transformation the airline is embracing. The name of the first four A321neo aircraft will be Swallowtail (Koninginnepage), Peach Blossom (Braamvlinder), Common Brimstone (Citroenvlinder), and Clouded Magpie (Porseleinvlinder).

You might also notice that KLM has modified its livery a bit with the introduction of the A321neo. While the plane has the same signature colors, the design has been modernized a bit.

How KLM has configured its Airbus A321neos

So, what should passenger expect onboard KLM’s Airbus A321neos? On the plus side, the A321neo has:

• USB-C power outlets and a personal device holder at each seat
• Large new overhead bins, meaning there should be enough space for all carry-ons
• Mood lighting, as is standard on new generation Airbus aircraft
• Wider seats, as the A321neos have 17.7″ of seat width, compared to 17″ on the 737

Now, here’s what’s probably going to delight passengers less. KLM has managed to squeeze 227 seats into its A321neos. That’s a lot of seats! Admittedly you expect jets within Europe to have more seats, since they don’t have “proper” business class.

However, this is more seats than you’ll find on other European carriers that are also known for their “efficient” configurations. For example, Lufthansa A321neos have 215 seats, British Airways A321neos have 218-220 seats, and SWISS A321neos have 219 seats.

Best I can tell, KLM has the densest A321neo configuration of any non-ultra low cost carrier. How is the airline achieving that?

• The first six rows of the plane feature 32″ of pitch, which is solid; these are usually rows that are used for business class
• Starting in row seven and up until the exit rows, the seats have 30″ of pitch
• Starting in the back half of the plane (in row 20), behind the wing, the seats have just 28″ of pitch

So yeah, this is going to be a very tight squeeze in the back. Dutch people aren’t exactly short, either.

Bottom line

KLM has just taken delivery of its first Airbus A321neo. Eventually the airline will completely replace its existing Boeing 737s with Airbus A320neo-family aircraft, so this is significant.

The economics of this jet are great, and the added capacity is also useful, given Amsterdam Schiphol Airport increasingly adding restrictions. The catch is that KLM also went with a really dense configuration, as the plane boasts 227 seats.

What do you make of KLM’s Airbus A321neos?