The first KLM Airbus A321neo recently made its maiden flight. This is a departure for KLM, who until now had an all-737 narrowbody fleet.

KLM is no stranger to Airbus aircraft. The airline has been flying the A330 widebody since 2005 and the A310 before that, starting in 1983. However, the airline has never had any Airbus single-aisle jets.

KLM Citihopper’s regional Fokker 70s/100s (and the even older Fokker 50s/60s) were a familiar sight in European airports for a long time. Embraer E-jets have since replaced them. But for decades now, the airline’s mainline narrowbody fleet has consisted of 737s, starting with the -200 and going all the way to the NG family.

But not the 737 MAX. KLM stopped short of ordering Boeing’s latest 737 variant – but that looked like it could change in 2021. We then learned that KLM was weighing a decision between the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320 family. The answer came in December of 2021: the Dutch carrier was getting 100 Airbus narrowbodies.

KLM will get both the A320neo and the A321neo. The deal also included 60 options. Some of the aircraft (mostly A320neos?) will go to Transavia, which is the low-cost subsidiary of the Air France-KLM group. Transavia has already taken delivery of its first A320neo. Before that, it had an all-Boeing 737 narrowbody fleet, too.

Why Did KLM Switch to Airbus?

This order was a blow to Boeing and came with similar bad news from Qantas in Australia. Of course, Air France, the other main member of the Air France-KLM Group, is no stranger to Airbus narrowbodies.

The French flag carrier still has A318/19/20/21s but hasn’t bought any neo variants of any of them – so far. Its only recent narrowbody orders involve the newer Airbus A220, which is already in service.

Streamlining the fleets of the two carriers has been a goal of the group since its creation in 2004. With Air France ordering the A220-300 and no A320neos, it seemed like the group could conceivably choose the 737 MAX to replace its larger single-aisle jets.

Air France had stated that it would prefer a bigger Airbus A220 (A220-500 or A221) rather than order the A320neo. But with the KLM order for the A320neo family, it now seems that the group has pinned its future plans to Airbus. For single-aisle aircraft, anyway.

Boeing had a reasonably successful Farnborough Airshow this year. With a new CEO coming soon, there is some optimism for the American manufacturer. But to avoid losing more customers like KLM to Airbus, Boeing’s new leader has no time to waste, to get the company in order.