According to the ch-aviation AF will take total 16 787-9 deliveries (in my opinion only 9 remaining 7 will be for KLM - instead of 7 additional a350-900 for AF)
www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/78712-klm-royal-dutch-airlines-to-retire-b747s-by-2021full text:
"KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL, Amsterdam Schiphol) plans to retire its remaining B747-400s and B747-400(M)s over the next two years as it replaces them with B787s and B777s, CEO Pieter Elbers told ch-aviation on the sidelines of the IATA AGM in Seoul.
"We have a timeline [for the phase-out], it is not precise, but the retirement should be around 2020-2021. We are already progressively phasing them out. The more B787s we get, the quicker we will retire the B747s," Elbers said.
According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, KLM currently operates three B747-400s and seven B747-400(M)s. The latter type is a combi aircraft with main deck cargo capacity besides passenger seating.
"The Combis have served our purposes well and we have been happy with them for many years. But they are not made anymore and four-engine aircraft are being replaced by two-engine aircraft," Elbers said.
The Dutch flag carrier is trying to change the profile of the cargo it currently carries onboard its B747-400(M)s to minimise the effects of the expected drop in capacity. Elbers pointed out that KLM is currently targeting pharmaceuticals and other smaller goods which can be transported easily in the bellyhold space of passenger aircraft.
"We don't plan to add more freighters. What we have been doing instead is adding more belly capacity, for example on the B777-300(ER)s," Elbers said.
According to the ch-aviation schedules module, KLM currently deploys the B747-400(M)s on routes from Amsterdam Schiphol to Chicago O'Hare, Hong Kong Int'l, Los Angeles Int'l, México City Int'l, New York JFK, Seoul Incheon, and Toronto Pearson. The -400s operate to Curacao, Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta, Paramaribo Int'l, San Francisco, CA, and Toronto.
KLM itself does not operate any full-freighters, although its fully-owned subsidiary Martinair (MP, Amsterdam Schiphol) operates four B747-400(F)s.
The Dutch airline's widebody fleet also includes eight A330-200s, five A330-300s, fifteen B777-200(ER)s, fourteen B777-300(ER)s, and thirteen B787-9s. KLM also has a further seven B777-200(ER)s and two -300(ER)s on order from Boeing. It is also due to shortly take delivery of B787-10s ordered by Air France-KLM.
"The first -10 will arrive at the end of June 2019. We can use them on the route to New York, to Curacao, to Africa, we have plenty of opportunities to use them," Elbers said.
The Franco-Dutch group is also in the process of analysing its strategy in terms of firm orders for twenty-eight A350-900s, which were initially due to be split between KLM and Air France (AF, Paris CDG) with seven going to the Netherlands and twenty-one to France. The French media have been reporting over the last few months that an agreement has been reached to streamline the fleet by assigning all A350s to Air France and all future B787s to KLM. The group has not confirmed the plan yet.
"It is obvious that there are many fleet efficiencies to be gained. It is a topic which is closely studied but we are not communicating anything yet. The future B777s will also be a part of the same evaluation," Elbers said.
The group placed a firm order with Boeing for seventeen B787-9s and eight B787-10s in 2011. Air France-KLM subsequently agreed to add further -9s from lessors. According to a plan from 2017, Air France was due to take thirteen -9s from Boeing and three from lessors, while KLM would take twelve and nine, respectively. All the B787-10s were originally destined exclusively for KLM."