For the fourth consecutive year, KLM and KLM Cityhopper are participating in The Aviation Challenge (TAC), an annual initiative by the SkyTeam airline alliance. This global challenge encourages airlines to operate their regular flights with minimal environmental impact while testing innovative solutions that support the sustainable transformation of aviation.
While previous editions of the challenge focused on a single flight, this year KLM is taking a broader approach. The 2025 edition highlights multiple flights and proven sustainability initiatives. The focus is on refining existing improvements, with the aim of scaling them up and integrating them further into day-to-day operations.
Key Initiatives
KLM and KLM Cityhopper are currently testing the following initiatives:
- AI-based water calculation: KLM is piloting an AI model that accurately predicts the amount of water needed onboard, helping to reduce unnecessary weight and associated emissions.
- Efficient flying tools for pilots: Pilots are testing a tool designed to help them fly as efficiently as possible, thereby reducing fuel consumption and emissions.
- Meal pre-selection in World Business Class: Passengers are invited to pre-select their meals, allowing KLM to load only what’s needed and minimize food waste. Passengers are also encouraged to pack light.
- Digital boarding passes: KLM has long advised passengers not to print their boarding passes. Since May 2024, this has resulted in an 84% reduction in printed boarding passes.
- Priority boarding for SAF contributors: Passengers who add an extra contribution for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) to their ticket receive priority boarding on the relevant flight.
- Filtered seawater bottles: Instead of standard bottled water, KLM is testing how passengers respond to water bottles filled with filtered seawater.
Flights in the Spotlight
From October 4 to 10, several routes will be under special focus:
- Amsterdam – Rome, operated with the new Airbus A321neo
- Amsterdam – Nairobi, a long-haul route with significant sustainability potential
- Amsterdam – Kraków and return, operated by KLM Cityhopper’s Embraer E195-E2
These flights will showcase and further test various existing initiatives, such as lightweight catering equipment and cargo pallets, smarter loading strategies, and electric pushback vehicles. KLM Cityhopper is also testing the reception of filtered seawater bottles onboard these flights.
About The Aviation Challenge
The Aviation Challenge is inspired by the legendary World’s Greatest Air Race of 1934, which saw aircraft racing from London to Melbourne. While the challenge then was distance, today’s challenge is about making aviation more sustainable. SkyTeam invites participating airlines to make tangible impact with regular commercial flights and to share learnings across the industry.
KLM acknowledges its environmental and climate impact and recognizes the limits of what the planet can sustain. Action is required to operate within these limits. By testing a wide range of innovations both in flight and onboard, KLM evaluates their potential with the goal of scaling successful solutions and embedding them into standard operations.
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