Princess Maxima

A real live Princess? Martinair Holland’s “Prinses Máxima” – PH-MCU (id: 48757/606) is seen here heading home to Amsterdam Schiphol from Seatac on a dreary afternoon in light rain.

The freighter was built for Martinair in 1996 and first flew in the old colors of the AF-KLM subsidiary. It was repainted with a special floral scheme in 2003 and renamed “Prinses Máxima” after the Argentine-born Princess Máxima Zorreguieta, wife of Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange. The plane was painted again in 2008 into Martinair’s current livery.

Willem-Alexander is heir to Beatrix, Queen of the Netherlands.

Martinair makes a weekly visit to Seattle and almost always flies an MD11.

Photographer: A. Kwanten, Click on the photo to see it at full size.