Martin Schröder, founder of Martinair, has passed away

Martin Schröder, pilot and founder of the airline Martinair, died on Wednesday at the age of 93 in his hometown of Noordwijk. The cause of death of the aviation entrepreneur has not been announced, but Schröder had been struggling with health problems for some time. He will be buried in a private family circle.

Schröder founded Martinair in 1958, under the name Martin’s Air Charter. In those early days, the airline only had one aircraft, with Mallorca as its first foreign destination. In the years that followed, Martinair made a name for itself with such holiday flights, which made it possible for the Dutch middle class to go abroad by plane. Martinair also arranged special flights, for example for pilgrims to Mecca.

In 1973, the airline purchased four DC-10 aircraft, which marked a new phase for Martinair: in addition to passenger flights, the aircraft could also be used for cargo flights. Due to the rapid conversion of aircraft, the Martinair aircraft were in the air for twenty hours per day, for maximum efficiency. This method received new impetus in the mid-1990s with the purchase of MD-11 aircraft, which also functioned as both freight and passenger aircraft.

In 2008, KLM, which had been 50 percent owner for forty years, fully took over Martinair. In 2011 they stopped carrying passengers completely. The bust of Martin Schröder still stands in the arrivals hall of Schiphol, in recognition of his services to Dutch aviation. Schröder also received this recognition when he resigned as CEO of Martinair in 1998, after forty years. In a speech, then KLM CEO Leo van Wijk called him “one of the greatest aviation pioneers in the Netherlands”.

In response to Schröder’s death let KLM know that “an aviation pioneer and entrepreneur par excellence” has passed away. “Martin’s passion for aviation led to an airline that was the foundation for modern-day freight transport but also the cradle of the modern air holiday,” they write. Schröder’s family calls him “a dear husband, father and grandfather” who has achieved “a unique transition of Dutch aviation”.

in collaboration with Mark Duursma

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