Mauritius has a long history with the Netherlands, so it seems fitting that Amsterdam is be a new hub for Air Mauritius in Europe.

The inaugural flight MK062 landed at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, to a warm welcome from Schiphol Airport authorities headed by Mr Wilco Sweijen, Director of Routes and Business Development.

The aircraft went through the traditional water salute and all onboard were given a sculpture of the Dutch Tulip.

The Airbus A340 flight carried 228 passengers, and 278 on its return, and heralds the start of a new wave. With KLM, Air Mauritius offers 50 connecting flights including flights to destinations in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland.

Long history

It seems fitting too, considering our long heritage with Holland – indeed, four centuries of history!

The island was named after Prince Maurits of Nassau, during the Dutch settlement in 1598. Pieter Both, the mountain, was named after the first Governor General, ship wrecked in Baie du Tombeau. (It’s also the name we’ve given our new A350-900 airbus.)

The most famous public beach in Mauritius – Flic en Flac – means ‘free flat land’ in Dutch, and there are plenty of other examples of place names inherited from our Netherlands heritage: including, Plaine Wilhems, Flacq and Wolmar…

And of course there’s the Mauritius Historical Society monument, built in 1948, to commemorate the arrival of the first Dutch sailors in 1598 – and where Prince Maurits and Princess Marilene of Nassau laid a plaque to mark the 400th anniversary, in September 1998.

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