On 21 July 1919, Anthony Fokker registered the brand Nederlandsche Vliegtuigenfabriek, paving the way for the Fokker business. Now 100 years later, more than 400 Fokker aircraft are in service and the company’s technologies fly on many other aircraft.
The company has also served as a representative of the Netherlands in the global aerospace community. Together with its 3,300 Dutch employees across seven Dutch sites, the business continues to be a major contributor to the economy of the Netherlands. A Dutch industry-wide celebration event took place on 14 March 2019 in Amsterdam, to jointly recognise the centenaries of GKN Fokker, Royal NLR and KLM. In September 2019, GKN Fokker will host an employee celebration in the Netherlands.
GKN Fokker was integrated into GKN Aerospace in 2015. The resulting GKN Aerospace has a global manufacturing footprint of 50 sites in 15 countries.
“100 years on, we have achieved the dream of our founder, with our future firmly built on the foundation of a century of innovation,” said John Pritchard, CEO of GKN Aerospace ASEA. “The entrepreneurship of Anthony Fokker has evolved into the world-class GKN Aerospace business. We are proud to be part of the successful Netherlands aviation industry, together with KLM, NLR and many other businesses. We are perfectly positioned to shape a sustainable aerospace future together.”
Anthony Fokker’s first Dutch flight was carried out on 31 August 1911 around the St Bavo church in Haarlem.
