Three student pilots who were part of a residential training course for the Dutch flag carrier KLM have been arrested on suspicion of arson at a residential complex used by the airline at Eelde Airport, located approximately 140km northeast of Amsterdam.
According to the local public prosecutor’s office, the three trainee pilots started a blaze on the balcony of their shared accommodation during the bizarre incident last month.
The fire forced a Transavia flight to Eelde to go into a holding pattern over the airfield after the airport fire department was called out to extinguish the balcony fire. Commercial flights are not allowed to land when the airport does not have fire vehicles available.
According to prosecutors, the Transavia flight, which is a low-cost subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group, was still able to land at the airport after the fire had been put out and the firefighter released from the scene, but the airline incurred additional costs in unexpected fuel burn.
The three suspects were arrested by Dutch military police more than two weeks ago and have been released on bail while investigations continue. The motive behind the alleged arson is yet to be revealed.
Responding to local media reports, KLM said that it “strongly disapproves of this kind of behavior,” confirming that the three trainee pilots had been suspended pending the outcome of the criminal investigation and an internal probe.
“The Public Prosecutor’s Office is dealing with this report, we cannot comment on the status of this,” a statement from the airline continued.
KLM runs a two-year training course for aspiring pilots at its dedicated facility in Eelde, which starts off with nine months of theory practice before students move on to flying single-engine aircraft from the dual commercial and military airfield.
From there, successful trainees will move on to type-rate training at Amsterdam Schiphol, where many will secure long-term careers with KLM or Transavia.
Residential pilot training has taken place at Eelde since 1956, initially has a government-run facility designed to massively increase the number of well-trained pilots in the aftermath of World War II.
It wasn’t until 1991, however, that the flight training school was privatized and taken over by KLM for the symbolic sum of one Dutch guilder.
