January 1998, KLM and Alitalia announced cooperation plans. Also in 1998 they won the Airline of the Year Award given by Air Transport World. August of 1998, KLM repurchased all regular shares of stock from the Dutch state. December 1999, KLM is the first airline in the world to receive ISO 14001 certification for its environmental care system. April 2000, KLM ended its alliance with Alitalia. KLM is now the oldest international airline in the world. They still serve their first route from Amsterdam to London. During that first year of operation in 1920, KLM carried 345 passengers and 55,000 lbs of mail and cargo. Now, just one Boeing 747 can carry more than 400 passengers and 44,000 lbs of mail and cargo.
Introduction and Background.
The Board of Managing Directors, as appointed by the Supervisory Board, consists of Leo M. Van Wijk, President and CEO, Peter F. Hartman, Managing Director & Chief Operations Officer, Cees Van Woudenberg, Managing Director & Chief Human Resources Officer, and Rob A. Ruijter, Managing Director & Chief Financial Officer.
As of March 31, 2003, the state of The Netherlands holds 8,812,500 A-cumulative preference shares and 975 priority shares which means that the State hold a 14.1% interest in the total share capital of KLM. Stichting Luchtavaarbelangen Nederland holds 7,050,000 C-cumulative preference shares, giving them an interest of 11.2% in KLM's total share capital, and Rabobank Nederland Participatiemaatschappijbv also holds 7,050,000 C-cumulative preference shares for an 11.2% interest in KLM. .
In March of 1986, the State of The Netherlands owned 54.9% of KLM's issued shares, but that month KLM issued 12 million new Common Shares and repurchased 3 million from the State, all of which were sold to the public, which reduced State's ownership to 38.2%. In December 1996, KLM and the State of Netherlands reached an agreement to further privatize the airline, reducing the State's holding in KLM to 25%.