KLM names aircraft after Jasper National Park
EDMONTON – KLM Royal Dutch Airlines recently welcomed the 11th Boeing 777-300 to its fleet. The aircraft bearing registration PH-BVP now also displays Jasper National Park’s name on its fuselage as the airline traditionally names this fleet type with famous world heritage sites and nature reserve.
Jasper National Park is the largest of Canada’s Rocky Mountain Parks with vast alpine meadows, glaciers and windswept ridges covering 11,228 square kilometers (about 4250 square miles) in all. Just a short drive from Edmonton, the park is home to black and grizzly bears, wolves, elk, moose and woodland caribou, which is a species at risk. Jasper has the most expansive trail network of any Canadian national park with nearly 1000 km of spectacular trails to explore as they wind through valleys, subalpine forest and alpine terrain, with many not far from campgrounds and hotels.
“Parks Canada is honoured by this dedication, which showcases the reputation of Jasper National Park and the larger Rocky Mountain UNESCO World Heritage Site,” says Alan Fehr, Field Unit Superintendent for Jasper National Park. “Jasper is a special place and we invite Canadians and visitors from around the world to experience and learn more about this incredible natural and cultural area.”
“With the numerous natural reserves and parks in this country, we would need a 100+ B 777 fleet to highlight all that Canada has to offer to travellers” says Jean-Noel Rault, Vice-President and General Manager AIR FRANCE KLM in Canada. “We are proud to be honouring Jasper National Park following the May 2015 opening of our fifth gateway in Canada: Edmonton.”
“This is a real compliment from KLM as well as a commitment to Edmontonians, northern Albertans and western Canadians,” says Tom Ruth, President and CEO of Edmonton International Airport. “The majestic Northern Rocky Mountains and all the breathtaking natural beauty of Jasper National Park are just a short way from Edmonton and are now easily accessible via KLM, a highly regarded international airline with a network of over 120 destinations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.”
About the names of KLM’s fleet
KLM has a long tradition of naming its aircraft. Its Airbus A-330s are named for City Squares. The B-737s are christened after birds. The brand new Dreamliners bear flower names. Carnation, Sunflower, and Bougainvillea are the first to have been recognized. The B-747s are named after cities. Vancouver is featured on PH-BFV and Calgary on PH-BCC making Jasper National Park the third KLM aircraft displaying a Canadian reference. Names are submitted by fans or by the airline’s staff. The Board of KLM acts as jury to choose the names of the newcomers to grow its 114 aircraft fleet.
About KLM
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines was founded on October 7, 1919 and is the oldest airline still operating under its original name. KLM is a member of the SkyTeam alliance, a group of twenty airlines including Air France, Delta Air Lines, and Alitalia who are also its transatlantic joint venture partners. KLM has been part of the AIR FRANCE KLM Group since the 2004 merger.
Air France and KLM serve 5 destinations in Canada with a total of 70 flights per week in the summer. They have dual operations in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver and KLM serves an extra 2 destinations in Alberta: Calgary and Edmonton. Both airlines provide a bus service from Ottawa to Montreal-Trudeau.
AIR FRANCE KLM offers the largest number of flights (23) between Western Canada and Europe for the 2016 summer season. The codeshare agreement with WestJet enables the Group to offer its customers an additional 28 Canadian cities served by the Alberta-based airline including Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Brandon, Winnipeg, Regina and Saskatoon.
About Edmonton International Airport
Edmonton International Airport is a self-funded, not-for-profit corporation whose mandate is to drive economic prosperity for the Edmonton Region. EIA is Canada’s fastest-growing major airport over the last 10 years, serving nearly eight million passengers in 2015. It is Canada’s fifth-busiest airport by passenger traffic and the largest major Canadian airport by land area. International travel is currently EIA’s fastest-growing passenger segment, increasing by 14.5 per cent in 2015. Air France KLM operates three flights a week – four starting May 2 – between Amsterdam and Edmonton. EIA offers non-stop connections to up to 60 destinations across Canada, the US, Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe. For more information, visit www.flyeia.com.
-30-