KNILM
 | This article includes a list of generalreferences,butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations.(January 2013) |
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| Founded | 16 July 1928 |
|---|---|
| Commenced operations | 1 November 1928 |
| Ceased operations | 1 August 1947 |
| Hubs | Tjililitan Airport |
| Focus cities | Bandoeng, Semarang, Medan, Soerabaja, Palembang, Bandjarmasin |
| Headquarters | Amsterdam |
| Key people | H. Nieuwenhuis TH.J. De Bruyn |
Koninklijke Nederlandsch-Indische Luchtvaart Maatschappij(in English:Royal Dutch Indies Airways) was theairlineof the formerDutch East Indies.Headquartered in Amsterdam, KNILM wasnota subsidiary of the better-knownKLM(Royal Dutch Airlines), despite the similar name. The airline had its headquarters inAmsterdamand an office in on the grounds of Tjililitan Airfield (currentHalim Perdanakusuma International Airport) inBatavia(currentJakarta).[1]
Founding and expansion
[edit]KNILM was founded on 16 July 1928 as the NILM by a group of 32 Netherlands Indian investors with a capitalization of NLG 5 million. To prevent confusion with an existing insurance companyNillmij,it was appended with theKoninklijk(Royal) title on 15 October 1928. The airline operated in the Dutch East Indies (present-dayIndonesia), and later, parts ofSoutheast AsiaandAustralia.
Its first regular operations were betweenBatavia(nowJakarta) -Bandung,and Batavia -Semarang,starting on 1 November 1928. The ceremony was held at Cililitan airport in Batavia (nowHalim Perdanakusuma International Airport). The Batavia-Semarang flight was later extended toSurabaya.Gradually, the services were expanded to include other islands in the archipelago, namely toPalembangandMedaninSumatra,BalikpapanandTarakaninKalimantan,andDenpasarinBali.Immediately before thePacific War,KNILM also created a network in the eastern part of the East Indies archipelago, serving towns such asAmbon.For this purpose, amphibious aircraft were used, due to the lack of airstrip facilities in the region.
As early as 1930, KNILM began its first international flight toSingapore.On 3 July 1938 KNILM began operations toSydney,stopping atDarwin,CloncurryandCharleville.KNILM did not fly to theNetherlands,as theAmsterdam-Batavia weekly service was operated by KLM.
Routes (in 1936)
[edit]
- Batavia-Bandung (twice daily in wet season, thrice daily in dry season)
- Batavia-Semarang-Surabaya (daily)
- Batavia-Palembang-Singapore-Pekanbaru (weekly)
- Batavia-Palembang-Pakanbaru-Medan (weekly)
- Batavia-Surabaya-Banjarmasin-Balikpapan-Tarakan (weekly)
- Medan-Penang-Bangkok (weekly)
- Surabaya-Denpasar-Kupang-Darwin (weekly)
War and demise
[edit]
During theJapanese attack of the Dutch East Indies,KNILM was utilized for evacuation flights and transport of troops. On December 28, 1941, a KNILMDouglas DC-3"Nandoe" (PK-ALN) was destroyed on the ground by Japanese fighters at Medan, killing all crew members and passengers. Immediately before and after the Japanese invasion on 1 March 1942, all KNILM aircraft with sufficient range were evacuated to Australia. On 7 March 1942, one day before the capitulation of Java, the last KNILM aircraft took off from the Boeabatoeweg in Bandung. A number of KNILM aircraft in Darwin were destroyed by the Japanese during thebombing of Darwin.In all, 11 KNILM aircraft managed to escape to Australia: 3Douglas DC-5s,2DC-3s,2DC-2sand 3Lockheed Model 14 Super Electras.In mid-May 1942 the remaining aircraft were sold to the American military.
AfterIndonesian independencethe KNILM could no longer operate due to the fighting between Indonesian nationalists and the Dutch military. All flights in the period were flown using military aircraft, coordinated through theNetherlands Indies Government Air Transport(NIGAT). On paper, KNILM was reinstated to operate charter flights to eastern Indonesian locations. Starting on 16 November 1946 it operated a weekly trans-Pacific flight between Batavia andLos Angeles.The service was performed with four-enginedDC-4sof the NIGAT. It was not successful and was discontinued after a few months.
KNILM was officially disbanded on 1 August 1947, and the remaining assets were transferred to KLM, which created theKLM Interinsulair Bedrijf(the precursor ofGaruda Indonesia) to operate air services between islands in the Indonesian archipelago.
Aircraft fleet
[edit]- 7Fokker F.VIIb/3mintroduced between 1928 and 1930. Registered as H-NAFA to H-NAFD, later PK-AFA to PK-AFD.
- 2Fokker F.XII,introduced in 1931. Registered PK-AFH and PK-AFI.
- 3Douglas DC-2,introduced in 1935.
- 3De Havilland Dragon Rapideintroduced in 1935 for aerial mapping inDutch New Guinea.
- 2Sikorsky S-38amphibious aircraft, introduced in 1936 for aerial mapping in Dutch New Guinea.
- 5Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra,introduced in 1938 for the Australia service.
- 2Grumman G-21A Gooseamphibious aircraft, introduced in 1940.
- 3Douglas DC-3transferred from KLM in 1940 after the occupation of the Netherlands.
- 4Douglas DC-5introduced in 1940–1941. These account for 80% of the aircraft type made for civilian use.
- 3Sikorsky S-43amphibious aircraft introduced in 1941.
See also
[edit]Further reading
[edit]- Gerard Casius and Thijs Postma,40 jaar luchtvaart in Indië(Alkmaar, 1986)
- Marc Dierikx,Bevlogen jaren, Nederlandse burgerluchtvaart tussen de wereldoorlogen(Houten, 1986)
- G.J. Hagens -De KNILM vloog door..., Java's evacuatie 1942(Haarlem, 1972)
References
[edit]- ^1 May 1930 Timetable(Archive). KNILM. Retrieved on 22 August 2014. "Hoofdkantoor en agentschappen AMSTERDAM Hoofdkantoor, N. Spiegelstraat 5[...]BATAVIA Hoofdkantoor voor Indië, Sluisbrug[...]na 5 uur Mtg 671. Vliegveld Tjilitian"
External links
[edit]
- Fokker F.XII: a loyal Indies aircraft
- DC-3 VH-ANR (formerly KNILM's PK-ALW)
- KNILM timetables
- KNILM baggage labels
- Documents and clippings about KNILMin the20th Century Press Archivesof theZBW
