Netherlands: KLM adds more flights to Cape Town for Winter 2025/26!

Good news for travellers heading to South Africa! KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is increasing its flights between Schiphol Airport (AMS) in Amsterdam and Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town for the upcoming Northern Hemisphere winter season (26 October 2025 – 28 March 2026).
KLM will now operate 11 flights per week on the Amsterdam <> Cape Town route – up from 10 weekly flights last winter. This means travellers will have more flexibility and seat availability when planning their trip to South Africa's Mother City during the popular summer season.

Updated flight schedule
From 27 October 2025, the route will be served by a mix of Boeing 777-200ER, Boeing 777-300ER, and Boeing 787-9 aircraft.

• Amsterdam > Cape Town: KL597 departs 09:30 (arrives 21:55) / KL595 departs 17:45 (arrives 06:10+1)
• Cape Town > Amsterdam: KL596 departs 08:05 (arrives 18:55) / KL598 departs 23:45 (arrives 10:40+1)

From 09 January 2026 onward, the evening flights (KL595/596) are expected to be operated by the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, offering a quieter cabin and improved fuel efficiency. 

Amsterdam <> Cape Town route comparison: Winter 2024/25 vs Winter 2025/26

Season	Flights per Week	Primary Aircraft Types	Notes
Winter 2024/25	10	Boeing 777-200ER / 777-300ER	Mostly daily service + 3 extras
Winter 2025/26	11	Boeing 777-200ER / 777-300ER / 787-9	Evening flights switch to 787-9 from Jan 2026

This small but meaningful increase provides more travel day options for both leisure and business passengers, especially during Cape Town's busy summer tourist season.

Why This Matters
Cape Town is one of KLM’s most popular intercontinental destinations during Europe’s winter months. The increase to 11 weekly flights not only gives travellers more choice but also highlights growing demand for tourism and business travel to South Africa.
With more convenient departure times and improved aircraft comfort, this expansion is excellent news for travellers seeking a seamless connection from Europe and beyond via Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport.

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The Netherlands: KLM increases capacity to South Africa! [update]

update (04 November 2024): KLM has announced that it will add another extra direct flight between Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) in Amsterdam and Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town from 10 January 2025 until 30 March 2025. The additional weekly flight ups the service between the two cities to 10 times per week.

The flag carrier of the Netherlands, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, is set to increase capacity to South Africa. According to the airline, the number of direct flights between Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) in Amsterdam and Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town will be increased from the Christmas period to the end of the winter season with two extra flights per week.  This expansion comes just in time for the busy December travel season. The new services on board KLM's new Boeing 777-300 will operate alongside the airline's the current daily flight. KLM's additonal service between Amsterdam and Cape Town (AMS > CPT on Tuesdays and Sundays; CPT > AMS on Mondays and Wednesdays) will operated from 17 December 2024 until 30 March 2025. 

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The Netherlands: KLM increases direct flights between Amsterdam <> Cape Town! [update]

update (30 May 2022): As of 01 November 2022, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will be adding three direct flights on their Amsterdam <> Cape Town route, increasing their total frequencies to 10 flights per week. 

The flag carrier airline of the Netherlands, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, has announced that it will increase flights between Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport (AMS) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town, South Africa, to meet greater demand for flights. The airline, which is part of the Air France–KLM group and a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance, has increased its flight schedule between the two destinations to six flights per week and is set to commence daily operations from 11 July 2022.

• Amsterdam 10:10 > 21:25 Cape Town
• Cape Town 23:15 > 10:45+1 Amsterdam

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KLM forced to temporarily cancel all flights from South Africa to the Netherlands! [update]

update (04 February 2021): South Africa is still subject to the passenger flight ban. The purpose of the flight ban is to prevent the further spread of new variants of coronavirus in the Netherlands.

The Dutch Government has imposed a travel ban on flights from South Africa to the Netherlands on 20 January 2021. Effective 23 January 2021, all flights operated by KLM between Schiphol Airport (AMS) in Amsterdam and OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg / Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town will have to be cancelled in order to comply with this new regulation. All passengers affected will be informed individually and re-booked on alternative flights. Please note the following:

• KL 525 20 January 2021: AMS > CPT operates as scheduled
• KL 525 21 January 2021: AMS > CPT will operate as scheduled
• KL 526 21 January 2021: CPT > AMS will operate as scheduled
• KL 526 22 January 2021: CPT > AMS will operate as scheduled

Please also note that the flight schedule of  KLM's partner airline, the flag carrier of France, Air France, are not affected by these new regulations and will continue to operate (at least) three times per week between Johannesburg and Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) in Paris. Please contact KLM for further information!

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Covid-19: KLM reduces flights between Amsterdam and South Africa!

The flag carrier airline of the Netherlands, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, has announced that it had to modify its flight schedules between the Netherlands and South Africa after the Dutch government restricted travel from South Africa. Effective today (18 January 2021), the airline operates four flights per week from Schiphol Airport (AMS) in Amsterdam to OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg and three flights per week from Amsterdam to Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town, with a technical stop at Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR) in Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. Passengers must remain on board during this stop. All flights are confirmed to operate.
Please also note that the flight schedules of KLM's partner airline, the flag carrier of France, Air France, have not been affected by these new regulations, and will continue to operate three times per week between Johannesburg and Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) in Paris.

Please note: Passengers flying from South Africa travelling to the Netherlands or transiting in the Netherlands are now required to produce a negative rapid antigen test which must be taken 4 hours prior to departure. This antigen test can be taken at Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town or OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg where facilities are being arranged. This antigen test is in addition to the mandatory negative PCR test valid 72 hours prior to arrival in the Netherlands and the completed and signed Negative Test Declaration. 

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South Africa's Minister of Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, has not only approved the renaming of Cape Town's suburb Zonnebloem back to District Six, but also the name change of Amsterdam in Mpumalanga to eMvelo. The town is located in the Mkhondo Local Municipality, which forms part of the Gert Sibande District Municipality in the south-eastern corner of Mpumalanga. eMvelo was established as a Scottish settlement in 1868 and was proclaimed a town in 1881. The town's first name was Roburnia (after Scottish Poet Robert Burns). One year later, in 1882, Roburnia was renamed to Amsterdam. 

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• Amsterdam (AMS) 22:45 > 07:30 Luanda (LAD) 08:45 > 12:15 Windhoek (WDH) on Tuesdays, Fridays, Sundays
• Windhoek (WDH) 17:40 > 19:15 Luanda (LAD) 20:40 > 05:20 Amsterdam (AMS) on Wednesdays, Saturdays, Mondays
  


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Air France–KLM (Air France and KLM) carry more than 77 million passengers per year. They operate 573 aircraft enabling them to fly to 243 destinations in 103 countries.

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• London – Nairobi
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The Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij, or just KLM, is the world's oldest airline still operating under its original name. The airline is currently operating worldwide scheduled passenger and cargo services to more than 90 destinations. KLM merged with Air France in 2004 and created Air France-KLM, but both airlines continue to fly under their distinct brand names. Air France-KLM is a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance.

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KLM is a member of SkyTeam, an airline alliance offering a network of 926 destinations in more than 173 countries.

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KLM to reduce Amsterdam <> Cape Town service

The flag carrier of the Netherlands, KLM, will reduce its Amsterdam <> Cape Town service from 5 weekly flights during the (European) winter season to 4 weekly flights during the (European) summer season starting 01 May 2013. KLM will operate the route on-board a Boeing 777-200ER.

• Amsterdam (AMS) 10:05 > 21:35 Cape Town (CPT)
• Cape Town (CPT) 23:35 – 11:00+1 Amsterdam (AMS)

KLM is a member of SkyTeam, an airline alliance offering a network of 926 destinations in more than 173 countries.

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