KLM has yet again extended its partnership with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in the area of airline operations.

After working together for years on improving operations within KLM, the Dutch airliner in 2018 established a formal partnership with the consultancy firm geared at making its operations more efficient, effective, and agile. The alliance spans the full lifecycle, from long-term strategic planning to day-to-day running.

In 2021, the partnership was extended for three years, and this week, the two companies announced their alliance is taking off for another term.

KLM extends airline operations partnership with BCG

Maarten Stienen, COO of KLM, said the partnership has helped the carrier unlock “proven results” within the business, including boosting airline operational efficiency, improving operations across functions, enhancing resource planning, and lowering non-performance costs.

At the same time, more streamlined and digital ways of working have led to higher levels of satisfaction among staff, which has translated into higher levels of employee engagement.

The development of new technology tools and products has been an integral part of the collaboration. “Over the past six years, KLM and BCG have developed a comprehensive suite of digital and AI tools to digitize and optimize airline operations, across all functional areas, including ground, fleet and maintenance, crew, and network departments,” said KLM in a statement.

Well-known tools include: Pathfinder, which helps KLM optimize fleet scheduling; CrewVision, a tool that optimizes cockpit and cabin crew staffing; Terra, a tool that optimizes resource allocation for ground resources; and Sentry & Runway, tools that help rapidly manage processes after operational disruptions.

“Our partnership with Boston Consulting Group continues to be one of the building blocks supporting KLM operations that bring value to our customers. Thanks to the continuous extension of our suite of tools that we have built up in recent years and our world class people, KLM was able to derive a lot of value from its Operations Decision Support set of tools,” Stienen said.

“We ae excited to continue to innovate and improve our services through our unique cooperation with Boston Consulting Group.”

Dirk-Maarten Molenaar, a managing director and senior partner at Boston Consulting Group, commented: “We are thrilled to extend our partnership with KLM. Together, we have cemented our position as a leading player in digital airline operations over the past six years.”

Other airlines

In recent years, KLM and Boston Consulting Group have within the mantle of the partnership also launched an external offering that brings their expertise to other airlines. Today, this offering serves numerous other airlines worldwide, including Brazil’s Gol, Delta Air Lines, and Virgin Atlantic.

“As the needs of airlines evolve, we are excited to continue engaging and innovating with the world’s leading carriers and supporting the digital transformation and optimization of their operations,” said Molenaar.

KLM has a fleet of over 100 aircraft, consisting of airplanes from Boeing, Airbus, and Embraer. Its home base is Schiphol Amsterdam Airport, one of Europe’s five busiest airports.

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