Air France-KLM

A blue-and-white jet with a crown on the tail at Schiphol, a white Airbus with a red-and-blue rear in Paris, a green-and-white leisure jet at Orly: at first glance, the three have little in common. In fact, they all belong to Air France-KLM, one of Europe’s major aviation groups. That is worth knowing for your sightings – but even more important is that the holding company itself does not fly a single aircraft. The airlines beneath it do that, each with its own codes, registrations and liveries.

Two heritage airlines under one roof

The group’s two core brands are among the oldest in the world. KLM was founded on October 7, 1919, and is considered the oldest airline still flying under its original name. Air France was formed in 1933 from the merger of five French companies and made aviation history with the Concorde – more in the article on the history of the Concorde.

On May 5, 2004, the merger was completed. Legally, Air France took over KLM, and the holding company Air France-KLM S.A. is based in France. What matters for the picture on the apron, though, is what happened next – or rather, what did not happen. Both airlines kept their names, liveries, hubs and air operator certificates. KLM is still based in Amstelveen near Amsterdam, and Air France still flies from Paris. The group is more an umbrella over two houses than a shared building.

Among the shareholders are the French and Dutch states, the shipping company CMA CGM, China Eastern and Delta Air Lines – at the end of 2024, the French state held about 28 percent and the Dutch state about 9 percent. For your sightings, that does not matter, but it explains why the group’s decisions are watched politically in Paris and The Hague alike.

The group’s airlines at a glance

The group is built as a mirror image: each half has a network airline, a low-cost operation under the Transavia brand and a regional subsidiary. The table shows who uses which codes and which country prefix you can expect on the fuselage.

The regional subsidiaries do have their own codes – KLM Cityhopper WA/KLC, Air France Hop A5/HOP – but their flights run under the parent’s numbers and callsigns. In the tracking app, you then see “KLM” or “AFR” even though an Embraer of the subsidiary is arriving. How callsign and flight number relate is explained in the article Callsign and flight number.

The hubs and what you see there

Unlike the Lufthansa Group with its numerous hubs, Air France-KLM concentrates on two large transfer airports. Both are among Europe’s busiest, and both offer you plenty of long-haul as a spotter.

Paris-Charles de Gaulle is Air France’s home. The A350-900s, Boeing 777-300ERs and 787-9s land here, plus short- and medium-haul with the A220-300 and A320 family. Since Air France largely moved its scheduled operations out of Orly in spring 2026, it has bundled almost everything at CDG. The airport itself is presented in the entry on Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Amsterdam-Schiphol belongs to KLM. Typical here are the 787-10 and 777-300ER on long-haul, and on short-haul the Boeing 737 and increasingly the A321neo. Add to that the Embraer jets of KLM Cityhopper, the freighters of KLM Cargo and Martinair, and Transavia. One of the best-known locations is the Spotterplaats at the Polderbaan; more on the airport is at Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport.

Paris-Orly is now mainly Transavia France’s territory, which has its most important base here. If you want to collect green-and-white Boeing 737s and A320neos with F- registrations, this is the place.

Transavia, Cityhopper and Hop: the second tier

Besides the network airlines, the smaller operations shape the picture – especially at airports beyond the hubs, including in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Transavia is a subsidiary of KLM and has flown since 1966. Its fleet consists of the Boeing 737-800 and, since the end of 2023, the A321neo. Transavia France was founded jointly by Air France and Transavia in 2006, began flight operations in 2007 and uses the A320neo besides the 737-800. Both operations have worn the same white-green design since 2015. On the fuselage, they hardly differ – the registration solves the puzzle.

KLM Cityhopper flies from Schiphol with three Embraer types: the E175, the E190 and the newer E195-E2. You recognize the E2 by its larger engines and the long, slender wings without classic winglets. Air France Hop is the French counterpart with E170s and E190s; since 2019, all flights run under Air France’s brand and codes.

Fleet in transition: what is still flying

Air France-KLM is renewing its fleets on a broad front. For spotters, that means some types are worth a targeted trip now, while they are still around.

Air France is, as of October 2026, the last operator of the Airbus A318, the smallest member of the A320 family. Only a handful of examples are still in service, and they are being replaced, like the A319, by the A220-300. On long-haul, the A350-900 is gradually displacing the A330-200 and older 777-200ERs.

KLM entered the A350 era in fall 2026. The group ordered a total of 50 A350s for both airlines in 2023; at KLM, they are gradually replacing the A330 and the 777-200ER. On short-haul, the A320neo family is gradually replacing the Boeing 737, that is the 737-700, 737-800 and 737-900.

Cargo: KLM Cargo and Martinair still fly Boeing 747-400 freighters, Air France Cargo the 777F. To replace the 747 freighters, the group has ordered the A350F. A jumbo with a PH- registration is thus among the most rewarding subjects at Schiphol. Background on the type is in the article on the history of the Boeing 747, and tips for recognizing freighters in the guide Recognizing cargo aircraft.

In passenger service, the 747 and A380 are history: Air France retired its last 747 in January 2016 and the A380 in 2020, and KLM its passenger 747s also in 2020.

How to identify the right operator

At Air France-KLM, the flight number often leads you down the wrong path – above all because of the regional subsidiaries that fly under parent codes. With these steps, you arrive at a reliable sighting.

Liveries: how to recognize the family

Air France has flown for decades in the so-called Eurowhite design: white fuselage, stripes in blue, white and red on the tail. Why so many airlines choose white is covered in the article Why aircraft are painted white. Since 2021, the winged seahorse, the airline’s historic emblem, has sat between the cockpit windows and the forward door. The A350s also carry it on the winglets – a quick distinguishing feature in photos.

KLM is hard to confuse at the fence: light blue fuselage, white titles, crown in the logo. In August 2024, the first A321neo showed a revised version in which the blue fully wraps around the nose. Older aircraft still wear the previous variant – a practical dating feature for your archive. Transavia has relied on white and green since 2015.

Sought-after subjects are special liveries, such as in the SkyTeam design with a silver fuselage and dark blue tail, which appears on several group airlines. How to track down such aircraft is shown in the guide Finding special liveries.

SkyTeam, Delta and SAS: the group’s surroundings

In 2000, Air France founded the SkyTeam alliance together with Delta, Aeroméxico and Korean Air, and KLM joined in September 2004. How the three big alliances differ is explained in the article Star Alliance, Oneworld and SkyTeam.

Across the North Atlantic, the group works closely with Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic. Delta is also a shareholder in Air France-KLM. Even so, both remain independent airlines – a Delta jet with an AF codeshare number is a Delta jet for your collection.

The newest building block is SAS. Air France-KLM bought in with 19.9 percent in 2024, and in the same year SAS switched from Star Alliance to SkyTeam. In July 2025, the group announced it would raise its stake to 60.5 percent. Whether and when that becomes a majority depends on the competition authorities. For your logbook, little changes: SAS flies with its own codes, its own livery and Scandinavian registrations.

For comparison, take a look at the two other big European groups, the Lufthansa Group and the International Airlines Group. All three buy from Airbus and Boeing but set different priorities.

Conclusion

For spotters, Air France-KLM is a group with two faces: the French half with F- registrations around Paris, the Dutch half with PH- registrations around Schiphol. Each has its own network airline, its own Transavia operation and a regional subsidiary. If you read livery, country prefix and callsign together, you assign every sighting correctly – and at the same time know which types such as the A318, A330 or 747 freighters are gradually disappearing from the picture.