The Garuda hybrid livery was too special to be excluded from this :P

Eyo and welcome to my Fleet Histories series where we take a look at the operational history of aircraft fleets both active and retired. Passenger airliners are normally featured, although freighter and government aircraft will be covered occasionally. This series was inspired by the videos of elmauriplatense, Ibirdball, Scaring Crab, and many other aviation Youtubers.

Despite being a loyal Douglas customer in the 1950s and 1960s, KLM ordered the Boeing 747 for increased range on intercontinental routes. The first aircraft, named "Mississippi," was delivered to the airline on January 16, 1971. It marked a milestone in KLM's history as their first ever Boeing aircraft. The 747200s replaced the older DC8s on many of the airline's transatlantic and Far East services throughout the 1970s. Some aircraft were later converted to have stretched upper decks from 1984 to 1986 to increase passenger capacity. KLM gained notoriety when one of their 747200s collided with a Pan Am 747 during takeoff from Los Rodeos airport in 1977, resulting in the loss of 583 lives. The last aircraft were retired in 2004 and replaced with the newer 747400s.

Remake of the original by Muhammad Fadhil2:    • KLM Royal Dutch Airlines 747 Classic'...  

Background videos:
KLM commercial 1988    • KLM commercial 1988  
Eerste Jumbo Jet voor KLM (1971)    • Eerste Jumbo Jet voor KLM (1971)  
KLM 747300 touch of love    • KLM 747300 touch of love  

Image sources: Airliners.net, AirHistory.net, flyteam.jp, AirTeamImages.com, JetPhotos, Planespotters.net

Song: FM84 Everything