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In particular, KLM Cityhopper has invested significantly in Embraer’ s newest aircraft: the Embraer 195-E2 – an upgrade from its existing E-190 aircraft.
“ While we are a regional carrier flying somewhat smaller aircraft, we are still a large operation in terms of the number of flights we do and the number of aircraft we have, which means that we have to be very well structured and organized,” Maarten elaborates.“ While many of our aircraft are still fairly young, we have decided that it’ s time to go for the newest Embraer aircraft, the 195-E2. We already have 25 of them in our fleet and intend to expand that further.
“ When the 195-E2s came from the factory, they initially had 132 seats, but we decided to reconfigure them to 136 seats. We’ re currently in the midst of that process while keeping to the standards that we have for both economy and business class passengers in terms of space. It marks an important investment for us.”
As Maarten details, KLM Cityhopper’ s strategic investments are centered around operational efficiency, customer satisfaction, and sustainability. The introduction of the 195-E2s demonstrates this focus. However, fleet modernization is just one factor of the wider picture, as the company has also been investing heavily in the electrification of its ground equipment. Most notably, KLM Cityhopper became the world’ s first airline to sell tickets with a 100 percent SAFsurcharge, setting a new benchmark for environmentally responsible aviation.
“ Sustainability is an important subject for the KLM group; it’ s embedded in our strategy to be a pioneer in that field. We see it as our responsibility to make our flights as sustainable and viable as possible, which is why we are introducing the 195-E2. A lot of our competitors use the E-190, which is a great, fuel-efficient aircraft, but the 195- E2, in comparison, is around 60 percent quieter and 30 percent more fuel efficient
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