To celebrate its 103rd anniversary, KLM has designed a new Delftware miniature house replicating the Ecury family house in Aruba

Today marks KLM Royal Dutch Airline's 103rd anniversary. As tradition dictates, the airline is unveiling a new Delftware miniature house for the occasion; this year, the anniversary Delft miniature is a replica of the Ecury family home on the island of Aruba. Let's unveil why the airline chose this particular location for the celebration of its anniversary.

October 7th marks the anniversary of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, founded in 1919. It has become a tradition for the Dutch carrier to design a Delftware house every year and unveil it on the anniversary. This year, the airline's Delft house represents the Ecury house, located on the island of Aruba. But why?

First, the island will celebrate the centenary of its aviation industry next year, while the Ecury house is close to the site where the first aircraft to ever fly to the island once landed. Moreover, the Ecury family was crucial in developing the island's aviation industry. KLM's first flight to Aruba goes back almost 90 years, when the island became the airline's operational hub for its scheduled services across the Caribbean.

The Ecury family house was built ten years after KLM was founded. It was the home of the renowned Ecury family, which played a significant role in the island's social and economic environments.

Son Nicasio, or "Dundun", Ecury built his business from here and played a crucial role in boosting the island's aviation industry. His son, Boy Ecury, spent some years in the Netherlands, where he studied, becoming a resistant hero during the Second World War. Sadly, he was betrayed and executed in 1944. The Ecury house has been part of Aruba's National Archeological Museum since 2009; it features a facade with classical elements, Caribbean gingerbread detailing, and local decorative touches. The mastery behind this house stems from the architect Dada Picus.

Anna Witsenburg, director of the Monuments Fund of Aruba, expressed her enthusiasm for the long-awaited decision from part of KLM to choose a building in Aruba to model one of its anniversary miniatures. She commented on KLM's choice by stating:

"The house has features of many different styles of architecture, including that of the Netherlands. KLM’s 103rd miniature house highlights the ties within the Kingdom and our shared past. We have studied the history of aviation on Aruba and recognise that it has brought us freedom and economic progress"

KLM has long been flying to the Island of Aruba in the Caribbean. Back in December 1934, a triple-engine KLM Fokker F-XVIII, named "The Snip", left Amsterdam bound for the Caribbean island. After seven days of travel, stopping in Marseille, Alicante, Casablanca, Porto Praia, Paramaribo, and La Guardia, it landed in Aruba, marking the start of KLM's tie with the island.

The relevance of this flight lies in the fact that it was KLM's very first transatlantic flight, which was possible thanks to several stopovers, modifications to the cabin, and, surprisingly enough, the absence of passengers. Indeed, the purpose of the flight was to station the aircraft in the Antilles to serve KLM's operations in the region. Scheduled services between Curaçao and Aruba began on January 19th, 1935. This service marked the beginning of the operations of KLM's West Indian Branch (WIB). In 1974, KLM started operating direct services between its hub in Amsterdam (AMS) and Aruba. Since then, the Dutch flag carrier has offered daily flights to the Caribbean island.

KLM's CEO, Marjan Rintel, is now in Aruba, where he will present the new Delftware house to Aruba's Acting Governor, Agustin Vrolijk, and the Ecury family at 20:00 local time. On the occasion, Rintel candidly remembered KLM's 103 years of history and the airline's ties with Aruba, saying:

"I don't know whether the founders of KLM could have imagined back in 1919 that we would still be celebrating the airline’s anniversary 103 years later. This year we're doing so on lovely Aruba, a KLM destination for almost fifty years (...). KLM has had many ups and downs over the past century, but we’ve always marked our anniversary on 7 October, because we want to keep celebrating that KLM is a wonderful company that connects the Netherlands with the world. We should be proud of that"

KLM has been designing Delftware houses since the 1950s. These precious artworks are filled with Bols Dutch genever, a classic cocktail liqueur, and delivered to KLM's signature World Business Class passengers flying intercontinental destinations.

KLM's Delftware miniature houses are replicas of renowned houses in the Netherlands and abroad; over time, these charming miniature houses have become sought-after collector's items for many travelers. Since 1994, the airline has added a new house every year on the anniversary of its founding. What's peculiar about this year's Delftware house is that it is the second time that KLM has chosen to represent a house outside the Netherlands. The first time was for KLM's 85th anniversary when the carrier presented a replica of the Penha Building in Curaçao.

Ronella Croes, CEO of the Aruba Tourism Authority, explained how KLM's choice to represent the Ecury House acknowledges the profound relationship Aruba has had with KLM over decades. Croes underlined how the Dutch carrier heavily supports the island's tourism. Additionally, the airline becomes an ambassador of Aruba's heritage worldwide, hopefully becoming a trigger for travelers to choose Aruba to explore the fascinating Caribbean culture.

What do you think of KLM's choice for this year's Delftware house? Let us know in the comment section below!

Writer - Giacomo has almost two years of experience as an aviation reporter. At the University of Surrey, he pursued a master's in Air Transport Management during the academic year 2021/2022. His main areas of expertise include network and fleet planning, airline partnerships, aviation finance, and airline strategy. Currently based in Italy.

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