King Sultan Willem-Alexander sits on a KLM plane - Photo: KLM
In an interview with De Telegraaf (The Netherlands), King Willem-Alexander has revealed he has been in the cockpit of KML flights for two decades.
CNN said on May 18 that it is now no senseless to call KLM official by the Royal Dutch Airline. Indeed, for twenty-two years, King Willem-Alexander, who ruled the Netherlands, frequently "acted" as a passenger pilot.
In his interview with De Telegraaf, Sultan Willem-Alexander called it a part-time job, and a hobby.
King Willem-Alexander, 50, took the throne on April 30, 2013, after receiving the throne from his mother, Queen Beatrix.
He admitted sitting in the KLM Cityhopper cockpit, a short flight of KLM airline for 21 years. Before that, he also drove Martinair.
According to King Sultan Willem-Alexander, he is a frequent flyer for flights around Europe. The king said that he did this to relieve the pressure of royal duties, and this hobby also helped him to concentrate on every task.
"For me, the most important thing is that I have a hobby that needs absolute concentration. You have planes, passengers and crew. You are responsible for them. You can not let any mistake happen from the ground until you reach the sky. You can completely ignore everything else. This, for me, is the most relaxing factor when flying, "the Sultan shared.
KLM Airlines Twitter picture of King Sitting (right) sitting next to pilot - Photo: KLM
King Willem-Alexander made his first flight 30 years ago when he was a student.
In the late 1980s, his passion for flights led him to Kenya where he worked as a volunteer pilot. He first volunteered for the African Medical Research & Education Foundation (AMREF), and later the Kenya Wildlife Service, according to CNN.
During his years as a "flying Dutchman," the Sultan said he was rarely recognized by passengers. Particularly, the "risk" identified has been lower since 2001, the time when aviation security measures have been tightened, preventing passengers from accessing the cockpit after the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.
"The advantage here is that I can always say that on behalf of the crew, I want to welcome everyone with all my heart. So I do not need to declare my name myself. But most passengers no matter what, "he said, adding that he felt more comfortable working as a pilot, instead of piloting and declaring himself.
The Dutch king has also said that he is learning to fly a Boeing 737, which will soon be used as a replacement for Fokker's KLM Cityhopper.
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