KLM has an important decision to maken in de upcoming week as radical changes have to take place at its subsidiaries Martinair and Transavia. International competition and the succesful LCC concept carriers like Ryanair and Easyjet apply puts heavy pressure on the market both Dutch airlines focus on.
With almost two thousand employees, Martinair is facing a tough week as a decision will be made on the continuation of their passenger operations. The airline is simply to small to compete on the international passenger market and the use of their 4 classic Boeing 767 aircraft is not helping either. The freight market however does prove to be a rewarding practice. Martinair recently took over a couple of KLM Cargo Boeing 747-400ERF and has upgraded its fleet with the addition of several 747-400BCF aircraft.
Transavia recorded this year their very first red numbers in thirty years of operation. As said, the competition has forced the airline to come up with measures to reduce costs further and adapt to the changing market conditions in the LCC market.