KLM serves Budapest with the longest Boeing 737

KLM’s longest “small Boeing” is able to carry 189 passengers with a two-class arrangement.

It was precisely 12:33 when KLM’s 737-900 type airliner landed smoothly on runway 31 R (runway II) at Budapest Airport. The aircraft arrived from Amsterdam full to the brim, so the Dutch carrier made the right decision when it confirmed in its schedule that it will fly the Budapest route with the 900 variant, such is the demand for flights to the Hungarian capital during the summer season. The aircraft has a capacity of 189 passengers, traveling to Budapest by business and economy class.

KLM operates three flights a day between Budapest and Amsterdam, which depart from the Hungarian capital at 06:20, 13:15 and 17:00 hours. Additionally, low cost carrier Transavia, a wholly-owned subsidiary of KLM, also commutes along this route four times a week (on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays). Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam is one of the largest transport hubs in Europe, with passenger traffic of 49.7 million last year. 41 percent of passengers use the fourth largest European airport for transfer, no wonder that practically all areas of the globe are accessible via Schiphol Airport. A significant proportion of the passengers from Budapest also change to other flights, just as yesterday’s KLM flight brought numerous North American tourists to Budapest.

The Boeing 737-900 is the variant with the longest body (42.1 m, maximum takeoff weight: 85 tons) made by the American manufacturer, which is 10 meters longer than the shortest 600 variant (31.2 m, maximum takeoff weight: 66 tons) previously also used by Malév. Whilst the 600 is able to accommodate 108-120 passengers depending on the arrangement, the 900 has a maximum capacity of 215. Not only does this enable more economical operation, but also greatly reduces crew retraining costs, since pilots trained for any member of the Boeing NG family (600-700-800 and 900) can fly any of the other variants as well. So far 52 aircraft have been manufactured from the Boeing 737-900 type now used by KLM, whilst the 737 family is one of the most popular in aviation worldwide. Since its launch in 1968, no less than 7251 airliners of this type have been built in different variants (Classic, Next Generation), excluding aircraft used for military purposes.

###