KLM Royal Dutch Airlines celebrates its 96th anniversary this month, and the carrier is commemorating the occasion with a new gift for passengers flying World Business Class on intercontinental flights.
The Dutch airline unveiled the latest addition to its much-coveted collection of Delftware miniatures, offered as exclusive gifts for premium passengers. Replicas of unique buildings in the Netherlands filled with Dutch gin, the Delftware miniatures have been given to KLM passengers since the 1950s. The number of houses in the collection has corresponded with the carrier’s age since 1994, and the airline has added a new house to the collection in October each subsequent year.
This year, the choice for KLM’s 96th house went to the charming and historic Hamel House in Gorinchem to honor a famous Dutch seafarer from the 1600s and celebrate the airline’s long-standing relationship with South Korea.
Reconstructed in Hendrick Hamel’s birthplace, the Hamel House brings Gorinchem’s naval hero to life visually, telling his shipwreck tale off the coast of the Korean island of Jeju. In Korea, Hamel and survivors were confined to the country for 13 years, forbidden to leave by a king afraid information about Korea would leak to the rest of the world.
After Hamel managed to escape, his journal with detailed experiences of his time in Korea was revealed to Europe, and his records served as the only source of information about the country at the time. Because of his stories, Korea became known in Europe and Hamel became popular in Korea. According to KLM, Koreans are still proud of this today.
“For me, the Hamel House symbolizes the special relationship shared between the Netherlands and South Korea,” said Pieter Elbers, president and CEO, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. ”Personally, while working for KLM in Japan and South Korea, I developed close ties with this extraordinary country. I’m therefore very pleased with our choice for house number 96.”
KLM has been flying to South Korea since 1994, currently operating daily service between Amsterdam (AMS) and Seoul (ICN).
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