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KLM marked 65 years of serving Scotland
with a special visit of their vintage DC-3.
This classic
aircraft first flew in 1944 as a C47-A Dakota with
the USAAF and served during the
Second World War when she was based at RAF
Cottesmore and participated in Operation
Market Garden over the Netherlands. Between
1961 and her retirement in 1975 her role was
for the Dutch government as an ILS and
navigation calibrator. For the next 20
years she was centrepiece at the Aviodome
museum at Schiphol until HRH Prince Bernard
began the task to restore her to her former
glory. PH-PBA (Prince Bernard Alpha), which
the prince named after his daughter, Princess
Amalia, took to the air again in 1998 and has
been flying ever since for DDA Classic
Airlines, wearing the retro 1950's livery of
KLM.
Her arrival from Lelystad with
18 dignitaries on board was greeted at Glasgow
Airport by a water cannon salute.
KLM's first flight to Scotland was on May 21
1946, when 18 passengers flew three and a half
hours from its international hub in Amsterdam.
Pieter Elbers, chief operating officer for
KLM, said: "Marking 65 years of flying to
Scotland is a significant occasion for KLM as
it underlines the continued importance the
airline places on having a presence in
Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. From its
first flight to Glasgow in 1946, KLM helped to
further open Scotland up to the world. From
April this year, KLM increased its frequencies
to Amsterdam from all three Scottish airports,
which reflects the airline's investment in the
Scottish regions."
A
total of 14 people took a flight on the plane
after winning a Facebook competition for a short trip to
Edinburgh. |
Pieter Elbers, chief operating officer for
KLM meets Amanda McMillan, MD of Glasgow
Airport. |
YouTube video of departure from Glasgow (7 mins):
Click here
YouTube video of cockpit in-flight over central
Scotland (1 minute):
Click here
Francois Bourienne, commercial director
at Glasgow Airport, said: "We are absolutely
thrilled KLM has decided to celebrate 65 years of
flying to Scotland in such a magnificent way. The
DC3 is such an iconic aircraft and captures the
glamour of flying in the early years of aviation.
"As one of Glasgow Airport's longest serving
airlines, KLM is a firm favourite with both
Glasgow business and leisure travellers and I
would like to take this opportunity to wish the
airline continued success over the next 65 years."
KLM
added a fifth daily flight on the Amsterdam -
Glasgow service earlier this year and hopes to be
able to add a 6th rotation in the near future. KLM often have the best
fares and the most convenient transfers for
passengers flying from Glasgow to the world via
their hub at Schiphol. www.flyklm.com
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