KLM To Lend Pilots To Dutch Air Force Amid Defense Push

KLM, a subsidiary of Air France-KLM, will initially offer five full-time pilot slots for use by the Royal Netherlands Air Force. These pilots will serve as reservists, and KLM pledged further collaboration in other areas. The partnership is part of broader efforts to alleviate manpower shortages across NATO forces.

Junior Defense Minister Gijs Tuinman acknowledged the shift, saying, “The world around us has become less safe, and the challenges for the Ministry of Defense are considerable.”

Earlier this year, Tuinman publicly criticized KLM for luring military pilots away with more attractive pay packages, intensifying the pressure for coordinated staffing solutions.

As European security concerns grow, NATO countries have pledged to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035. The Netherlands, which currently fields 46 F-35 fighter jets—38 at home and 8 in the US—will send some to Poland later this year for NATO airspace protection.

The collaboration with KLM signals the kind of civil-military partnerships NATO allies are embracing to meet recruitment and readiness goals amid global uncertainty.