Martinair

Martinair is one of those airlines where you have to look twice: most of its jumbos wear KLM colors at first glance, and only a single aircraft still flies in the airline’s own design. Behind that is a story that began in 1958 with a small charter operation, ran through the DC-10 and MD-11, and today ends in a small but distinctive fleet of Boeing 747 freighters. Here you learn how to recognize Martinair with confidence, what “Operated by Martinair” is all about and why the jumbos are worth chasing right now.

Martinair at a glance

Martinair is the cargo airline of the Air France-KLM group and is wholly owned by KLM. Its headquarters is Schiphol-Oost in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer, and its home base is Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. The cargo business operates under the name Martinair Cargo.

Since passenger service ended in October 2011, Martinair has flown cargo only. Flights go mainly to Africa and the Americas, supplemented by charter work. Within the group, Martinair works closely with KLM Cargo – so closely that at first glance you take most Martinair aircraft for KLM aircraft.

Martinair’s history also includes its own flight school, the Martinair Flight Academy, which is closely tied to KLM’s pilot training – but you won’t run into it on the apron at Schiphol.

Codes and callsign

• IATA code MP: It appears in the flight number, for example on cargo documents and in schedules.
• ICAO code MPH: The unique operator code for air traffic control and flight trackers. If you are looking for Martinair, you filter for MPH.
• Callsign MARTINAIR: This is how the crew identifies itself on the radio.

The interplay with KLM Cargo is interesting: the aircraft wears KLM colors but flies with a Martinair crew and, as a rule, under the Martinair callsign. The tracker therefore often tells you who is actually flying faster than the livery does. How IATA and ICAO codes relate is explained in the article IATA and ICAO codes explained. Why flight number and callsign are two different things is covered in Callsign vs. flight number: the difference.

The fleet: four jumbo freighters

Martinair operates a very small and thoroughly classic freighter fleet. As of 2025/2026, the picture looks like this:

Type	Number	Livery	Spotter note
Boeing 747-400BCF	1	Martinair	PH-MPS, converted passenger aircraft, built in 1990
Boeing 747-400ERF	3	KLM Cargo with “Operated by Martinair”	Registrations PH-CK…, built as freighters at the factory
Airbus A350F	on order	–	Successor to the 747-400, sources give three to four aircraft

The Boeing 747-400 has shaped Martinair’s look for many years. In 2006, the airline bought four 747-400s from Singapore Airlines to replace older 747-200 freighters. Today only PH-MPS is left in the fleet, an ex-passenger jet converted to a freighter. The three 747-400ERFs come from KLM’s stock and fly under Martinair management. The manufacturer is Boeing.

Because the four aircraft are about a quarter century old on average, their replacement is long under way: Air France-KLM has ordered the Airbus A350F for Martinair. The new freighter is based on the Airbus A350-1000 and gets by with two engines instead of four. The sources give differing information on the exact delivery date and the number of aircraft; new aircraft types often arrive later than originally announced. For you, that means: as long as the 747 is still flying, every trip to Schiphol is worth it. You can find more about the manufacturer on the page about Airbus.

A look back: from the Dove to the MD-11

Martinair started small: on May 24, 1958, former military pilot Martin Schröder and a partner founded Martin’s Air Charter – with a single de Havilland Dove and a handful of employees. In 1966 the name changed to Martinair Holland, and the first jets arrived at the end of the 1960s.

From 1973, Martinair operated the McDonnell Douglas DC-10, including convertible versions that could be switched between passenger and cargo configuration. This dual principle of passengers and cargo ran through the company’s history. Over the years, the airline flew the DC-8, Airbus A310, Boeing 757, Boeing 767-300ER and various 747 versions, among others.

The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 was a defining type for spotters. The first one arrived in December 1994, and Martinair was the launch customer of the convertible version. In 2015, Air France-KLM announced it would scale down the cargo business and retire the MD-11 without a direct replacement. On July 8, 2016, the last aircraft, PH-MCP, said goodbye with a flyover of Schiphol-Oost and then flew to the US to be scrapped.

The history also includes two serious accidents: in 1974 a DC-8 crashed on approach to Colombo, and in 1992 a DC-10 crashed on landing in Faro. Both left a lasting mark on the airline.

Goodbye to passenger service

In September 2010, Martinair announced it would focus entirely on cargo. KLM took over some of the leisure routes. The last passenger flight on October 31, 2011 was a sightseeing flight over the Netherlands with a Boeing 767-300ER that carried “Bedankt!” and “Thank You!” on its fuselage as a farewell. After that, the 767s left the fleet.

As early as 2008, for the 50th company anniversary, the 767 PH-MCL had received a retro livery. Photos of such special liveries are sought-after archive shots today. How to track down current special paint schemes is covered in Finding special liveries.

How to recognize Martinair

The most important clue is the type: if you see something at Martinair, it is a Boeing 747-400 without passenger windows on the main deck, with the typical winglets on the wingtips. How to identify freighters in general is explained in the article Spotting cargo aircraft.

After that, the livery decides:

• PH-MPS is the only aircraft in the full Martinair design. If you catch this one, you have the real Martinair in the can.
• The 747-400ERFs wear the colors of KLM Cargo. Look for the small title “Operated by Martinair” – it is the only visual link to the actual operator.

A third feature separates the two versions even when you can’t read the lettering: the upper deck. The factory-built 747-400ERF has the short upper deck of the classic freighters and a hinged-up nose for loading. The converted 747-400BCF, in contrast, keeps the long upper deck of the passenger version, and cargo goes aboard only through the large side door at the rear left. The history of the Boeing 747 offers many details about the jumbo family.

How Dutch registrations are structured and why they start with PH is explained in Country prefixes on aircraft and Understanding aircraft registrations.

Martinair compared

In the European cargo market, Martinair is a small player. Cargolux of Luxembourg also relies on jumbos, but with a much larger fleet and many modern Boeing 747-8 freighters. Lufthansa Cargo now relies on the twinjet 777F for its long-haul freighters. And Atlas Air operates large 747 fleets on behalf of other companies.

It is precisely this comparison that makes Martinair interesting: here the 747-400 still flies as the backbone of an airline, not as a supplement. With the switch to the A350F, Martinair follows the trend toward more fuel-efficient twinjets – and Schiphol loses another jumbo constant.

Within the group, the sister airlines are also worth a look: KLM Cityhopper flies regional services, Transavia the leisure and low-cost segment. Together with Martinair, you cover Air France-KLM’s entire Dutch portfolio at Schiphol.

Spotting Martinair

Amsterdam Schiphol is where you are most likely to see Martinair. The freighters depart and land spread across the week. Because the fleet has only four aircraft and the rotations are long, a look at the tracker before your trip is a must.

A popular location for jumbo takeoffs and landings is the Polderbaan spotter spot. Which runway is in use at Schiphol depends heavily on the wind – check the runway direction in use beforehand, as described in the guide Understanding runway direction in use at airports. For the best light, the article Planning with sun position helps.

Outside Schiphol, Martinair is much harder to get. The routes lead mostly to Africa and the Americas, but charter flights can turn up at very different airports. If you are after such a chance encounter, put Martinair on your watch list and let yourself be surprised.

Common mix-ups

• Logging every KLM Cargo 747 as KLM – many of them fly with a Martinair crew and carry “Operated by Martinair”.
• Searching for KLM instead of MPH – on the tracker, Martinair runs under its own ICAO code.
• Confusing BCF and ERF – the long upper deck gives away the converted ex-passenger jet.
• Confusing a Cargolux 747 with Martinair – different livery, different registration (LX-… instead of PH-…).
• Listing old MD-11 photos as the current fleet – the MD-11 has not been in service with Martinair since July 2016.
• Classifying Martinair as a leisure airline – it has not carried passengers since October 2011.

Conclusion

Martinair is small, but a must-visit for jumbo fans: four Boeing 747-400 freighters, a home base at Schiphol and a history that runs from charter airline through the DC-10 and MD-11 to pure cargo operations. If you watch for the ICAO code MPH, the “Operated by Martinair” title and the shape of the upper deck, you can place every sighting with confidence. And because the A350F is already on order as the successor, the advice is: get the Martinair jumbos while they are still flying.