KLM’s monopoly to Surinam broken by daughter Martinair

SCHIPHOL - A first ever scheduled flight by Dutch airline Martinair recently touched down in Paramaribo, the capital of the South American country of Surinam. The flight ended a decades-old monopoly enjoyed by the airlines of The Netherlands (KLM) and Surinam (SLM), when the route had been considered an ‘inland’ flight between two outposts in the Netherlands. Surinam no longer is a colony, allowing for more competition in the air. Martinair, in which Dutch carrier KLM has a fifty percent stake, is able to offer cheaper rates between the two countries, pleasing many people from Surinam now living in the Netherlands.