Manufacturer · Netherlands · Founded 1912
Fokker: The Flying Dutchman’s Airliners
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For most of the 20th century, the Netherlands, a small country, punched far above its weight in building airliners. That was almost entirely the work of one company, founded by a self-taught pilot nicknamed “the Flying Dutchman”. Fokker built aircraft for 84 years. Its planes are still flying today, three decades after the company itself disappeared.
Anthony Fokker
Anthony Fokker, born in 1890, taught himself to build and fly aircraft. In 1912 he founded his first company in Germany, which built military aircraft during the First World War. In 1919 he moved his business back to the Netherlands, settling in Amsterdam, and turned to civil aviation.
His breakthrough airliner was the F.VII, especially its three-engined version, the F.VII-3m. In the 1920s it was flown by dozens of airlines and carried pioneering long-distance flights, including the first trans-Pacific flight from the US to Australia, by the Southern Cross in 1928.
The arc
Fokker’s 84 years
- 1912The bet
Anthony Fokker starts out
The young Dutch aviator founds his first aircraft company in Germany.
- 1919Reset
Back to the Netherlands
Fokker moves his business to Amsterdam and turns to airliners.
- 1920sProof
The F.VII trimotor
A three-engined airliner flown by dozens of airlines and record-breaking crews.
- 1955Proof
F27 Friendship first flight
It becomes Europe’s best-selling turboprop airliner.
- 1967The bet
F28 Fellowship
Fokker’s first jet airliner flies.
- 1980sThe bet
Fokker 50 and Fokker 100
Modernised successors to the F27 and F28.
- 1996Break
Bankruptcy
Fokker is declared bankrupt on 15 March after 84 years.
The Friendship: Europe’s best-selling turboprop
After the Second World War, Fokker looked for an aircraft to replace the ageing Douglas DC-3 on short routes. The result was the F27 Friendship, which first flew in 1955. It had a high wing, giving passengers a clear view down and keeping the engines away from rough runways, and two Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop engines, much smoother and quieter than piston engines.
It was a huge success. Fokker built 586 F27s, and the American company Fairchild built more under licence, making it Europe’s best-selling turboprop airliner of its era. Its design ideas live on in today’s regional turboprops like the ATR.
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Jets, and the end
Fokker moved into jets with the F28 Fellowship, which first flew in 1967 and was designed for short routes and small airports. In the 1980s it launched two modernised successors at once: the Fokker 50 turboprop and the Fokker 100 jet, later joined by the shorter Fokker 70.
Developing two new aircraft at the same time was enormously expensive, and Fokker faced tough competition from bigger rivals and the new generation of regional jets. Its main shareholder, the German aerospace group DASA, withdrew support, and on 15 March 1996 Fokker was declared bankrupt after 84 years.
The aircraft outlived the company. Fokker 70s and 100s still fly today, especially in Australia with Alliance Airlines. See our guide to flying legacy aircraft.
The real numbers
Fokker in figures
84 yrs
In business
1912–1996
586
F27s by Fokker
Plus Fairchild licence-builds
1996
Bankruptcy
Declared 15 March
Still flying
Fokker 70/100
Notably in Australia
Iconic aircraft
1925
Fokker F.VII
The trimotor of the 1920s, used for pioneering long-distance flights.
1958
Fokker F27 Friendship
A high-wing turboprop; 586 built by Fokker alone.
1969
Fokker F28 Fellowship
A short-haul jet for small airports.
1988
Fokker 70 / 100
Jet successors to the F28, still flying in Australia and beyond.
Sources & Further Reading
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Fokker go bankrupt?
Developing the Fokker 50 and Fokker 100 at the same time was expensive, competition from regional jets and larger manufacturers was intense, and its main shareholder, Germany’s Daimler-Benz Aerospace (DASA), withdrew support. Fokker was declared bankrupt on 15 March 1996.
Do Fokker aircraft still fly?
Yes. Australia’s Alliance Airlines runs one of the largest Fokker 70/100 fleets, and other operators fly them in places such as Papua New Guinea. See our legacy aircraft guide.
What was the F27 Friendship?
A high-wing twin-turboprop airliner that first flew in 1955. Fokker built 586, and the US company Fairchild built more under licence, making it Europe’s best-selling turboprop airliner of its era.
Is Fokker still around?
Not as an aircraft builder. Parts of the business survived as Fokker Services and other aerospace companies that support existing aircraft and build components.
Who was Anthony Fokker?
A Dutch aviation pioneer, born in 1890, who taught himself to build aircraft and founded his first company in Germany in 1912 before returning to the Netherlands in 1919.