KLM will remain Dutch and based at Schiphol

KLM, taken over by Air France in 2004, will remain a Dutch company based at Schiphol airport, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Wednesday.

The paper says transport minister Camiel Eurlings is set to unveil the agreement made with Air France-KLM later on Wednesday.
There were fears that the French majority shareholder would dismantle KLM, causing Schiphol to lose its role as an international airport.
The paper says the basic agreement was made in 2004, when the Dutch government gave the green light to the merger. Now, however, it has been extended indefinitely, the paper says.
Hub
‘Schiphol will remain an international hub where passengers can fly to and from Copenhagen and Lisbon and then transfer to an intercontinental flight,’ Eurlings told the paper in a telephone interview.
‘Schiphol’s importance to our country has been ensured into the far future.’
Schiphol CEO Jos Nijhuis told the paper KLM and the Sky Team alliance’s presence at Schiphol ‘makes it possible for the airport to be as efficient as possible,’ and to ‘count’ in European terms.