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Albert Plesman (the Hague7 september 1889 – Paris, 31 december 1953) was a Dutch aviation pioneer and founder of the KLM.

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[hide]*1 early life

Life Course[Edit][]

Plesman was born as the son of an egg trader in the Hague. He married on 27 december 1917 with Susanna Jacoba (Suus) van Eijk, daughter of a cheese manufacturer in Gouda. They had a daughter and three sons born: Hans, Jan, Àlbert Jr. (Abbey) and Pia.

Plesman was stationed to Soesterbergin 1915, where he as a professional officer at the mobilized Dutch air forces (then called the "military Aviation Department") earned his military pilot's license in 1918.

Plesman was co-organizer of the first air traffic Exhibition Amsterdam which was held from 1 August to 15 september 1919. There were as many as 800,000 visitors. For this occasion, exhibition halls were built, which after the event in use were taken by Anthony Fokker, for his newly established aircraft manufacturer to Fokker Amsterdam-Noord.

All these activities led to the creation of the N.V. Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij (KLM) for Netherlands and colonies, of which Plesman became Director and later, and which he made to a thriving business. After the Second World War Plesman was appointed president of KLM. After the restoration of the damage caused by the war, the company under his leadership an airline of great allure.

Plesman died in 1953 in his hometown to a vascular disease.

Honors[Edit][]

Miscellaneous[Edit][]

His family[Edit][]

Plesman's two sons were killed in the exercise of their profession as a pilot.

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