KLM PRESENTS 1999/2000 ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT

KLM today presented its fourth annual environmental report. The data in the report were, for the first time, subjected to an external audit by Deloitte & Touche Certification.

ISO 14001

One of the environmental highlights of the year under review - running from April 1, 1999 to March 31, 2000 - took place in December 1999 when KLM received ISO 14001 certification for its Environmental Management System. KLM was the world’s first airline to have successfully passed the stringent external environmental audit that precedes certification. The International Organization for Standardization issues ISO 14001 certification for high quality, externally verifiable Environmental Management Systems. Certified organizations are, among other things, obliged to constantly improve their environmental performance. KLM annually drafts an environmental program with targets for improvement and gives an account of the results in the following year’s annual environmental report. The environmental program is an integral part of operations. One of the aims of this year’s environmental program is to improve the standard of environmental care at foreign establishments.

Ambition

In a foreword to the report, the KLM Board of Managing Directors states: “It will be necessary to continue our efforts - if we are to fulfill KLM’s ambition to rank among the best airlines in terms of environmental performance. The business and political climate is changing rapidly and there is an international awareness within the aviation sector that environmental measures are needed. Other airlines are also improving their environmental performance; KLM must continue making advances so that it can continue as a leader.”

Balance

KLM views environmental management as part and parcel of its aim to achieve sustainability; by striking the best possible balance between economic, social and environmental considerations. As the general demand for mobility grows, the demand for air transportation grows along with it. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) of the United Nations estimates that the international community’s demand for air transport will increase by an average 3.1% per year until 2050. According to the International Panel on Climatic Change (IPCC), which studied the impact of aircraft emissions on the atmosphere at the request of the ICAO, this would cause the airline industry’s share in the overall contribution of human action to the greenhouse effect to increase from 3.5% in 1992 to around 5% in 2050.

New technology

The increase in aircraft emissions can be contained through the use of new technology. These technological improvements have been implemented on newer aircraft models and, as KLM operates a relatively young fleet, this means that its environmental performance is better than that of fleets with an older average age. New aircraft offer better environmental performance in terms of noise, fuel consumption and emissions. This is exemplified by the next-generation Boeing 737s. KLM has deployed more and more of these new Boeing 737s on European routes in the year under review. In its KLM configuration, the new 737-800 transports a maximum of 158 passengers, compared to the 129 passengers carried by the 737-400. On longer European routes, the fuel consumption of the 737-800 is 20% lower than that of the 737-400, while emissions are 10-40% lower. The new model also produces less noise.

Apart from flight operations, the KLM environmental report also reviews environmental considerations relating to ground operations. One of KLM’s targets in this regard is to reduce the emissions per ton kilometer of standard company vehicles by 5% per year for the coming five years.

KLM submits its annual environmental report to the Environmental Accountancy Association (Vereniging voor Milieu, VMA) and, in so doing, contends for the annual ACC Award. KLM’s previous environmental report was runner-up for the 1999 ACC Award.

You can access and download the KLM Annual Environmental Report at https://corporate.klm.com/CorporateInformation/AnnualReports.asp