KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will be expanding its Indian network to include Bangalore and is the latest European carrier to add routes into India after the demise of Jet Airways.
At the end of October 2019, KLM will launch a thrice-weekly direct service from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol using a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
The new KLM flights will expand KLM’s network in India, where the cities of Delhi and Mumbai are already served.
The thrice-weekly connection with Bangalore will open up even more opportunities for travel between Amsterdam and India. In so doing, KLM will be offering additional connections between the United States and India via its Amsterdam hub.
Until recently, KLM cooperated intensively with its partner Jet Airways on routes to and from India. Jet Airways suspended all its flights for an indefinite period with effect from April 2019. Consequently, KLM decided to raise capacity to India in order to offer customers alternatives, while continuing to cater to market demand.
In order to open up Bangalore as a new destination, KLM said a number of changes must be made to the KLM network. Partly because of slot restrictions at Schiphol, KLM has no choice but to revise its portfolio of destinations sooner than usual.
KLM will provisionally suspend its direct connection to Colombo, Sri Lanka with effect from the end of October and it said recent developments and economic prospects on the island of Sri Lanka have brought commercial pressure to bear upon the flights to Colombo.
KLM has been flying to Colombo two to three times a week alternately during the winter season since October 2016.
