King Willem-Alexander, who has quietly held a co-pilot role with the airline since the 1990s, has flown his last scheduled flight on a KLM Boeing 737.
The King announced the milestone on Instagram, confirming that last Wednesday, he took the controls of this particular blue-and-white jet for the final time as a KLM guest pilot.
KLM is phasing out its entire Boeing 737 fleet, replacing the workhorse aircraft with the more fuel-efficient Airbus A321neo as part of a €7 billion fleet renewal programme.
Now, the King needs to be retrained for the newer aircraft. Doei doei, 737!
From Lapland to Ibiza, by royal appointment
The King looked back fondly on his years behind the controls of the 737. He first trained on the 737 in 2017, having previously flown Fokker 70s for KLM Cityhopper.
As RTL Boulevard reports, his journeys included flying football supporters to Prague for Europa League matches, bringing children to Lapland to meet Santa Claus, and flying holidaymakers bound for Ibiza and Malaga.
Taking to Instagram, the royal account posted a video of this important moment in the King’s career:
“Over the years, we have transported so many passengers from A to B with the 737,” the King said.
Not hanging up the headset just yet
While the King’s days in the Boeing are over, it doesn’t mean he’s finished flying altogether. The King will undergo retraining to qualify on the Airbus A321neo, meaning his co-piloting days at KLM are far from over.
As a guest pilot, he averaged roughly three commercial flights per month. Flying passengers under the understated alias “Meneer van Buren,” most of those on board had no idea just who was in the cockpit.
READ MORE | 9 things you might not know about King Willem-Alexander
He hopes to see the same mix of travellers once he’s behind the controls of the Airbus — “the same colourful group,” as he put it.
The King also occasionally flies the Dutch government plane, which is also a Boeing 737. That aircraft’s eventual replacement will likely take him through another round of retraining down the line, too.
So don’t worry, you might still have a chance to be flown by the royal “Meneer van Buren” yet.
Have you ever been on a flight not knowing royalty was in the cockpit? Drop your reaction in the comments below.
