KLM Reveals Latest Delft House for Business Class
Dutch airline continues long-standing tradition with miniature of 800-year-old Die Mariaen house
Dutch carrier KLM has unveiled its latest Delft miniature house. Since the 1950s, the airline has been producing the miniature porcelain houses filled with Dutch gin to hand out to business class passengers on intercontinental flights.
The little replicas of monumental buildings in the Netherlands have become popular collector’s items among travelers. Since 1994 the numbers of the houses in the series have matched the age of the airline. This year house number 101 coincides with KLM’s 101st anniversary.
This year’s house is a model of one of the oldest brick buildings in the Netherlands, the 800-year-old Die Mariaen located in the city of Den Bosch. The building, referred to as the “castle on the Mariaen” in the city archives, was originally built by members of the local nobility as a mercantile house and is now home to the tourist center.
The building was chosen by the airline due to its ties with the trade industry and its location in the province of Brabant, which continues to be a major contributor to the Dutch economy.
“It is important that we hold on to our KLM traditions in times of crisis,” Pieter Elbers, CEO and president of KLM, said. “For our loyal customers, our miniature houses symbolize their ties with KLM, which we want to cherish and preserve. This is why we didn’t hesitate to produce house number 101.
Fans of the houses can find out more about KLM’s long-standing Delft house tradition on the airline’s blog.
