KLM is marking its 107th anniversary with the unveiling of a new Delft Blue miniature house, Wijnhoeve De Kleine Schorre in Dreischor, Zeeland. Through its annual miniature house tradition, the airline honours places and stories that represent the Netherlands; this year’s house recognises the Zeeland winery that has supplied Dutch wine for KLM’s World Business Class cabin for more than twenty years. As the world’s oldest airline still operating under its original name, KLM has played a role in the development of international aviation for 107 years, from pioneering a hub-and-spoke network model to opening new European and intercontinental routes.

The anniversary falls in the same week that KLM takes a step toward future-ready aviation with the arrival of its first Airbus A350, an aircraft the airline says is cleaner, quieter and more fuel-efficient than previous generations and will soon be deployed on several intercontinental routes.

KLM says it recognises the same pioneering spirit in De Kleine Schorre. When the vineyard was established on Zeeland soil in 2001, it was met with scepticism, since premium wine was then associated with the sunny hills of southern Europe rather than the heavy marine clay and salty winds of Schouwen-Duiveland; the winery went on to become a leading Dutch producer, and its Zeeland wines are served to KLM World Business Class passengers from September to November each year.

“For 107 years, KLM has connected the Netherlands with the world. In doing so, we not only bring people together but also showcase what the Netherlands stands for. With our 107th Delft Blue miniature house, we honour De Kleine Schorre, a partner that, like KLM, dared to pioneer and has demonstrated how Dutch quality and craftsmanship can earn international recognition. That makes this house a fitting symbol of our 107th anniversary,” said Marjan Rintel, President and CEO of KLM. “It is an enormous honour for our wine estate to become part of KLM’s miniature house collection. Twenty-five years ago, we started with the conviction that excellent wine could be made in the Netherlands, at a time when Dutch wine was nowhere to be found on wine lists. Thanks to our long-standing partnership with KLM, travelers from around the world have been introduced to wine from Zeeland. Having our wine estate immortalised as a Delft Blue KLM miniature house feels like a wonderful crowning achievement for everything we have built over the past 25 years,” said Johan van de Velde, owner of De Kleine Schorre.

ABOUT THE DELFT BLUE MINIATURE HOUSES

KLM has presented Delft Blue miniature houses to World Business Class passengers on intercontinental flights since the 1950s, filling them with Bols Genever since the 1990s; the houses are miniature versions of notable Dutch and international buildings and have become sought-after collectibles. Since 1994, the number of houses in the collection has corresponded with KLM’s age, with a new house added each year on 7 October, the airline’s anniversary. House No. 107 is the third Zeeland landmark in the series, following earlier houses in Middelburg (No. 6) and Veere (No. 22).