KLM’s 103rd Delftware miniature house is on the island of Aruba

 

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is celebrating the 103rd anniversary of its founding today, an occasion traditionally accompanied by the presentation of a new Delftware miniature house. This year’s miniature is a replica of a house in a very special location: the Ecury family home on Aruba. The island will be marking a centenary of aviation next year and the Ecury House – now part of the National Archaeolo­gical Museum of Aruba – is close to the site where the first aircraft landed. Moreover, the Ecury family played a significant role in the development of aviation on the island. KLM first flew to Aruba almost ninety years ago and made the island its operational hub for scheduled services across the Caribbean. KLM began operating scheduled services between Amsterdam and Aruba in 1974 and now operates daily flights between the two.

KLM President & CEO Marjan Rintel is on Aruba and will present the latest Delftware miniature to Agustin Vrolijk, Acting Governor of Aruba, and the Ecury family, tonight at 20:00 local time.

Agustin Vrolijk, acting Governor of Aruba: I congratulate KLM on its hundred-third anniversary. We are extremely proud of our cultural heritage and are therefore very honored that this iconic mansion, the Ecury complex, has been chosen as KLM's next miniature house. We are deeply honored that Aruba's cultural heritage will now travel to all KLM destinations worldwide.

Marjan Rintel, CEO and President of KLM: “I don't know whether the founders of KLM could have imagined back in 1919 that we would still be celebrating the airline’s anniversary 103 years later. This year we are doing so on lovely Aruba, a KLM destination for almost fifty years, where we are kicking off celebrations today marking a centenary of aviation on the island. KLM has had many ups and downs over the past century, but we’ve always marked our anniversary on 7 October, because we want to keep celebrating that KLM is a wonderful company that connects the Netherlands with the world. We should be proud of that.”

Tags: KLM