The Farman F.170 is F-AIIA. PH-AEI to G-AEPU and SE-AHA. Donated to Finland and ferried from Sweden on 12 March 1940, the big Fokker twin served in the Finnish air force as FE-1 and crashed on 27 September 1941 following an engine failure. Photo from: Amsterdam City Archives

KLM opened its scheduled intercontinental service to the Dutch East Indies in 1930 on a fortnightly basis with the Fokker F.VIIb/3m. From 1 October 1931 it was flown weekly in both directions by the new Fokker F.XII, which could carried four to six passengers on the 15,000-km route in addition to the mail. PH-AIV Valk (falcon) has been put up horizontally for an inspection by Queen Wilhelmina. The comfy chairs, courtesy suitcases and catering provisions are also on display outside for the media, including the Polygoon cinema newsreel. Photo from: Amsterdam City Archives

Seating up to 20 passengers the F.IX was Fokker's largest trimotor airliner. There was little wrong with the design but its appearance coincided with the Great Depression and only two examples were built for KLM. The Avia company in Czechoslovakia built the type under licence as an airliner and bomber. Photo from: Haags Gemeentearchief

Two new Fokker airliners for KLM, registered in July 1932. Though a conservative extrapolation of the Fokker F.VII-3m, the F.XVIII gave reliable and successful service. PH-AIP Pelikaan is on the left. Oehoe became PJ-AIS in the Dutch West Indies, renamed Oriol. Photo from: Amsterdam City Archives

Designed by Joop Carley and built by Werkspoor in the 1930's. Ordered by KLM in 1929 as a specialised freighter, only one aircraft was built and it was solely deployed between Amsterdam, Rotterdam and London. The aircraft was delivered in 1931 and only served for 2 years before being passed on to the airlines training centre for the next 8 years. The registration was cancelled in February 1940 and on May 10 1940, the aircraft was destroyed during a German bombing of Schiphol. The aircraft carried the titles 'Freightservice', which earned the aircraft the nickname ' Vreetservies'.

Passengers boarding, destination not known to me.

Operated by KLM between 28 February 1929 and 4 May 1936. then to the Rijksstudiedienst voor de Luchtvaart as PH-RSL and PH-NLL. Photo from W. Muntinga

The second FK.43, ordered by KLM and evaluated by the airline as an air taxi between April 1933 and 26 May 1933 when it crashed at Eelde, flown by two trainee pilots. The aircraft was not to blame and eight more FK.43s were delivered to KLM between 1933 and 1938. Photo from: Stadsarchief Rotterdam

Registered to KLM in late February 1929 and damaged in a storm near Haamstede on July 15, 1936. The registration was cancelled on August 7, 1936 and the aircraft was scrapped. Parts were said to be sold to Air France.

KLM had 7 Fokker VIII's in their fleet, with the first one arriving on June 24, 1927. They were used exclusively on the European routes. The PH-AED was exported to Venezuela on March 10, 1938. PH-AEF became G-AEPT on November 11, 1936 (wfu at Gatwick in May 1938, scrapped afterwards). PH-AEG became SE-AEB (later Tp.10/916) on October 19, 1934. PH-AEH was cancelled on November 9, 1936. PH-AEI was cancelled on November 28, 1936 and became G-AEPU, SE-AHA, OH-FOA and FE-1. Written off in Latva on September 27, 1941.

One of a few oddballs in the KLM fleet by Koolhoven, the other Dutch manufacturer. The FK.40 was a domestic airliner designed to carry up to six passengers, but the sole example was given a spacious interior for four. It was sold to a private pilot in 1936 and ended up in the Spanish Civil War. Photo from: ETH-Bibliothek Zürich

Designed for KLM by Joop Carley and built by the Werkspoor company, the Jumbo was a dedicated cargo aircraft first flown in 1930. The sole example was used on the Amsterdam - Rotterdam - London route for two years and used as a trainer from 1933. Photo by: Willem van de Poll / Nationaal Archief (Netherlands)

Beautiful night shot by professional photographer Van de Poll. Havik (Hawk) served KLM from 1932 until 1936. To British Airways on 31 October 1936 as G-AEOT but already lost three weeks later. Photo by: Willem van de Poll / Nationaal Archief (Netherlands)

Sightseeing flights, or maiden flights, were still important to serious airlines like KLM in the 1930s not only to recruit passengers, but also simply for the revenue. This riverside location at Keent was occasionally used as an airfield by Dutch military planes from 1928. Keent was a little-used satellite field for Volkel during the German occupation but suddenly became crucial to the Allies for a few days as B.82 Grave during the Battle of Arnhem. Photo from: Ton Cruijsen collection / Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum

The aircraft entered the Dutch register on February 28, 1929. It was given the name 'Duif' (dove) on December 16, 1937. Cancelled on March 10, 1938. To PJ-AED and sold to Venezuela in March 1939 as YV-AFO. Written off in April 1939.

Speed or comfort? Announced together with the luxurious F.XXXVI (F.36) in December 1932, the F.XX (F.20) was the only prewar Fokker airliner with retractable landing gear. Like its big sister, it was not ordered in series by KLM which opted for the metal DC-2. The only example, KLM's Zilvermeeuw (herring gull) is best known for going tech on 18 December 1933, an F.XVIII, PH-AIP Pelikaan, making a hyped Christmas mail flight to the Netherlands East Indies instead. Despite carrying the legend Holland-Java on its belly, the F.XX served on European routes. It ended up with the Spanish airline LAPE and crashed at Barcelona - El Prat in February 1938. Photo from: Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie

Belly titles are not a modern invention - KLM aircraft on the East Indies route carried the legend 'Holland-Java'. A reliable but conservative type, the F.XVIII (F.18) was replaced on this route by the DC-2. Snip then made the first flight by a Dutch aircraft to the West Indies, crossing the Atlantic between Praia and Paramaribo. Ironically this was in fact a ferry flight, relegating the Fokker to KLM's West Indies branch as PJ-AIS. Photo from: Leiden Photo University Libraries

Nice prop blur and a nice catch for Mr Hahn, although he left the unique Fokker F.XX unidentified in the German archive. Note the removal of the aircraft's wheel doors in comparison with our earlier photo. Photo by: Walter Hahn / SLUB / Deutsche Fotothek

In KLM service 1933-1936. KLM sold PH-AIQ to Československá Letecká Společnost where they were re-registered as OK-AIQ. They used them on their Prague-Vienna-Berlin route until 1938. OK-AIQ then went to Commercial Aviation Corporation at Lydda, Palestine (now Ben Gurion Airport) in December 1938 where it became VQ-PAF, crashing there on 13 January 1939. The wreck remained on the airfield until 1948 when it was taken on charge by the Israeli Air Force but never re-built and it was subsequently scrapped in Israel.

Not one of Van de Poll's best photos, but it shows Hedon airfield which was a stop on the KLM route to Liverpool in 1934-1935. It then fell into disuse. Military use was avoided because of its proximity to the petrochemical industry at Salt End; is that what we see on the far left? Photo by: Willem van de Poll / Nationaal Archief (Netherlands)