HONG KONG and TAIPEI, Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, KLM is celebrating its 107th anniversary with the unveiling of a new Delft Blue miniature house: Wijnhoeve De Kleine Schorre in Dreischor, Zeeland. For 107 years, KLM has connected the Netherlands with the world while showcasing internationally what the country stands for. Through its annual miniature house tradition, KLM honors special places and stories that represent the Netherlands. This year, the spotlight is on the Zeeland winery, which has been supplying Dutch wine for KLM's World Business Class for more than twenty years.
A shared pioneering spirit
As the world's oldest airline still operating under its original name, KLM has played an important role in the development of international aviation for 107 years. From pioneering a unique hub-and-spoke network model to opening new European and intercontinental routes, KLM has continuously sought new ways to connect the Netherlands with the world.
KLM continues to innovate today. The celebration of its 107th anniversary falls during a week in which the airline is taking a concrete step toward future-ready aviation with the arrival of its first Airbus A350. This aircraft is cleaner, quieter, and more fuel-efficient than previous generations and will soon be deployed on several intercontinental routes.
KLM recognizes that same pioneering spirit in De Kleine Schorre. When the vineyard was established on Zeeland soil in 2001, it was met with considerable skepticism. After all, premium wine was associated with the sunny hills of Southern Europe, not the heavy marine clay and salty winds of Schouwen-Duiveland. Defying expectations, De Kleine Schorre grew into a leading Dutch winery. Today, passengers from around the world enjoy its Zeeland wines from September to November in KLM World Business Class.
Valued craftsmanship
What connects KLM and the Zeeland winery goes beyond their long-standing partnership. Both combine craftsmanship with innovation and share the ambition to make a difference in their respective fields. This focus on quality, hospitality, and entrepreneurship forms the foundation of a partnership that has now lasted more than 20 years.
"For 107 years, KLM has connected the Netherlands with the world. In doing so, we not only bring people together but also showcase what the Netherlands stands for. With our 107th Delft Blue miniature house, we honor De Kleine Schorre, a partner that, like KLM, dared to pioneer and has demonstrated how Dutch quality and craftsmanship can earn international recognition. That makes this house a fitting symbol of our 107th anniversary." - Marjan Rintel, President & CEO of KLM.
"It is an enormous honor for our wine estate to become part of KLM's miniature house collection. Twenty-five years ago, we started with the conviction that excellent wine could be made in the Netherlands, at a time when Dutch wine was nowhere to be found on wine lists. Thanks to our long-standing partnership with KLM, travelers from around the world have been introduced to wine from Zeeland. Having our wine estate immortalized as a Delft Blue KLM miniature house feels like a wonderful crowning achievement for everything we have built over the past 25 years." - Johan van de Velde, owner of De Kleine Schorre.
About the Delft Blue miniature houses
Since the 1950s, KLM has presented Delft Blue miniature houses to World Business Class passengers on intercontinental flights. Since the 1990s, the houses have been filled with Bols Genever. They are miniature versions of notable buildings in the Netherlands and elsewhere and have become highly sought-after collectibles.
Since 1994, the number of houses in the collection has corresponded with KLM's age. Each year on October 7, KLM's anniversary, a new house is added to the collection. House No. 107 is the third landmark from Zeeland to be included in the series, following earlier houses in Middelburg (No. 6) and Veere (No. 22).
Download more pictures of KLM House 107 here. Pictures of the event will be posted on the KLM Newsroom later.
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KLM Celebrates Dutch Craftsmanship with House No. 107 in Zeeland
Self-funded maiden flight achieves an apogee altitude of 10 km, marking a milestone in OculloSpace's space technology development, six months after its first satellite launch, as the company advances towards its 100 km ambition.
SINGAPORE, Oct. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Singapore-based space technology company OculloSpace has successfully completed the maiden flight of AZAD "The Dreamer", its first experimental sounding rocket, making a significant milestone in the company's development of launch and space technology capabilities. The rocket achieved an apogee altitude of 10 km during its maiden flight from Etlaq Spaceport, Oman.
The mission, designed Karman X1, was conducted in collaboration with Oman-based aerospace company Stellar Kinetics MCT, with support from international partners across Singapore, Oman and Australia.
The two-stage rocket, measuring 4.3 metres and weighing 26 kg, successfully lifted off from Etlaq on October 1st, 2026, reaching an apogee altitude of 10 km. Both stages completed their burns, with telemetry received throughout the flight. While the upper-stage parachute did not deploy, launch operator Stellar Kinetics reported that the majority of the mission objectives were achieved, providing valuable flight data for future development.
A Singapore-Owned Space Technology Programme
Initiated by Dr Franco Gan, Founder and CEO of OculloSpace, the AZADRocket programme represents approximately two years of development and was self-funded by the company.
OculloSpace owns and leads the AZADRocket programme, retaining ownership of its programme intellectual property. The mission brought together international space industry expertise, with Stellar Kinetics serving as an engineering, manufacturing and launch partner in Oman.
"Six months ago, we sent our first satellite to orbit, and now we have flown our own rocket. I've always looked at the sky and wondered whether I could build something that reaches it. The Dreamer represents about two years of work by our team to take an idea from the drawing board to an actual flight," said Dr Franco Gan.
The mission also involved Orbit2Orbit (Australia), which supplied the 1kg Snowball experimental payload, and WWG Engineering Pte. Ltd. (Singapore), which contributed coated material samples for in-flight evaluation. Etlaq Spaceport provided launch infrastructure and range safety support.
Two Space Milestones in Six Months
The flight follows OculloSpace's flight satellite mission, DECIMALSAT-1, a PocketQube satellite deployed into orbit through Alba Orbital aboard SpaceX's Transporter-16 rideshare mission on 30 March 2026.
Within approximately six months, OculloSpace has achieved two important milestones: deploying its first satellite into orbit and completing the maiden flight of its first experimental rocket, achieving an apogee altitude of 10 km.
These achievements strengthen the company's experience in satellite systems, experimental rocket development, flight operations and international space missions, laying the foundation for future space technology and commercial opportunities.
Next Ambition: Reaching 100 km
Building on the Karman X1 mission, OculloSpace is developing AZAD-2, its next-generation experimental sounding rocket targeting an altitude of 100 km, the Kármán line widely recognised as the boundary of space.
The company plans to apply lessons and flight data from The Dreamer towards AZAD-2, with future opportunities for suborbital research, space technology demonstrations and commercial payload services.
OculloSpace is exploring up to 5 kg of research payload capacity aboard AZAD-2, subject to further engineering validation, testing and regulatory approvals.
"Our next goal is AZAD-2 and a 100 km flight. We are now looking to work with partners who share our ambition to develop more accessible launch and space capabilities from the region, and to take what we have demonstrated with The Dreamer to the next level," said Dr Franco Gan.
OculloSpace welcomes discussions with strategic investors, space industry partners, research institutions and prospective payload customers interested in participating in its next phase of development.
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Singapore's Space SME OculloSpace Successfully Flies First Rocket, AZAD "The Dreamer", from Oman
