KLM Plans Guyana, India, U.S. Additions

KLM is set to expand its intercontinental network during the summer 2025 season, introducing new routes to points in Guyana, India and the U.S.

The first of the three new services will see flights between Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) and San Diego International Airport (SAN) start on May 8, operating three times per week using Boeing 787-9 aircraft. The Californian city will become the airline’s 22nd destination in North America, following the recent addition of Portland, Oregon, in late October.

San Diego has two nonstop connections to Europe at present, with direct flights to London Heathrow (LHR) and Munich (MUC). However, none of KLM’s transatlantic joint venture partners—Air France, Delta Air Lines or Virgin Atlantic—serve the market.

British Airways (BA) began operating LHR-SAN flights in June 2011, increasing the route to twice daily in April 2024 for the summer season. Lufthansa entered the MUC-SAN market in March 2022, initially operating five flights per week before expanding to daily service in summer 2024.

According to Sabre Market Intelligence data, San Diego-London was the largest city pair during 2023, attracting some 104,000 two-way passengers. Paris, Rome, Amsterdam and Barcelona completed the top five largest O&D markets.

KLM will launch its second new long-haul route next summer with flights to Georgetown, the capital of Guyana. The service will operate twice a week starting June 4, using Airbus A330-200 aircraft, with brief stopover in Sint Maarten on the outbound journey from Amsterdam.

OAG Schedules Analyser data shows that Georgetown’s Cheddi Jagan International Airport currently has one link to Europe, with BA offering a one-stop service from London Gatwick Airport via St. Lucia.

The third intercontinental addition to KLM’s network will begin on Sept. 2, connecting AMS and Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (HYD). Frequencies will be 3X-weekly onboard 777-200ERs, marking the SkyTeam alliance member’s fourth destination in India after Bengaluru, Mumbai and New Delhi.

The route will also become the third nonstop service between Europe and Hyderabad, joining BA’s daily flights from LHR and Lufthansa’s 6X-weekly operations from Frankfurt International Airport.