KLM's First A350 Is Named The Night Watch: 331 Seats, One Catch

KLM took delivery of its first Airbus A350-900 on 2 October 2026. Here is what the trade press says about the seats, the name, the jets it replaces and the catch with its business class.

KLM's first Airbus A350-900 arrived at Amsterdam Schiphol on 2 October 2026. FlightGlobal reports it as a 331-seat aircraft registered PH-ZNA. AeroTime says KLM has named it "The Night Watch", after Rembrandt's painting, and plans a Dutch art theme across the A350 fleet. The second aircraft is due to be called "Girl with a Pearl Earring".

331 seats, in three cabins

AeroTime gives the split as 34 business-class suites with direct aisle access, 26 Premium Comfort seats and 271 economy seats. That adds up to the 331 FlightGlobal quotes.

The catch: the business seats are not certified yet

One Mile at a Time reports that the new World Business Class seats are not certified yet, so they will sit empty when the aircraft enters service. AeroTime adds that certification delays mean the business seats were unavailable on the first two deliveries, and that EASA approval for testing had been granted by the delivery date. I have not seen KLM's own statement on when they will be sold.

What it replaces

According to AeroTime, KLM's A350s will replace Boeing 777-200ERs and Airbus A330-200s and A330-300s. They are part of an Air France-KLM group order announced in 2023 for 50 A350s, with options on another 40.

Where it flies first

The first route is Toronto, with service starting "in a few weeks" after delivery, according to AeroTime. Montreal, Kilimanjaro, Dar es Salaam, Nairobi and Zanzibar follow. I have not seen exact start dates, and I do not know which flights will pass near a given spotter.

What it looks like on a radar

The A350 is still a fairly new sight in the sky. On my desk radar on 27 September 2026 I caught a Delta A350-900 as DAL134 at 39,000 feet. That was Delta's, not KLM's, but the type reads the same on the label: A359. When KLM's own A350 starts flying, it will join the A330s and 777s the airline already sends over the UK.

If you spot PH-ZNA or the second aircraft over Britain, I would like to hear about it.

Sources

FlightGlobal, "KLM takes delivery of its first A350-900", 2 October 2026: https://www.flightglobal.com/fleets/2026/10/klm-takes-delivery-of-its-first-a350-900/
AeroTime, "KLM welcomes its first Airbus A350, named 'The Night Watch'", 2 October 2026: https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/klm-first-airbus-a350-night-watch
One Mile at a Time, "KLM's First Airbus A350 Delivered, But Business Class Will Stay Empty For Now", 3 October 2026: https://onemileatatime.com/news/klm-airbus-a350-business-class-empty/