KLM May Wet-Lease Air France Jets for JFK Route in Summer 2025
The U.S. Department of Transportation has approved a request allowing Air France to wet-lease aircraft to KLM Royal Dutch Airlines for operations on the Amsterdam Schiphol to New York JFK route. The permit covers the period from July 1 through October 31, 2025, according to an official agency filing.
Although the authorization is in place, it remains unclear whether KLM will move forward with deploying Air France aircraft on the transatlantic service. Current schedule data shows KLM’s in-house fleet is assigned to the JFK flights during the designated timeframe.
KLM has been experiencing a temporary shortage of widebody aircraft due to the grounding of seven Boeing 787s, which has led to speculation about potential service disruptions. The Dutch airline expects these fleet issues to continue for several more weeks and has acknowledged the possibility of canceling select long-haul flights, as reported by Dutch aviation news outlet Luchtvaartnieuws.
If KLM chooses to activate the wet-lease option, it will gain access to Air France’s sizable widebody fleet. According to ch-aviation data, Air France operates a mix of long-haul aircraft including eleven Airbus A330-200s, thirty-seven A350-900s, eighteen Boeing 777-200ERs, forty-three Boeing 777-300ERs, and ten Boeing 787-9s.
In comparison, KLM’s current widebody fleet includes eleven Boeing 787-10s, thirteen 787-9s, six A330-200s, five A330-300s, fifteen 777-200ERs, and sixteen 777-300ERs.
Both carriers have not yet commented on whether the wet-lease arrangement will be utilized.
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Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, ch-aviation.com