KLM stars in new documentary about AIDS

RNW, Tom Onsman, 18 October 2012

(Photo: VARA)

               

Dutch doctors diagnosed the first case of HIV in 1982. The 30th anniversary of the arrival of AIDS in the Netherlands is no reason for celebration, but Dutch public broadcaster VARA is marking the event by broadcasting a documentary this evening, entitled: “Grounded by AIDS”.

The main character in the documentary is the Dutch national airline KLM, a company that was hit hard by the new disease in the 1980s. Documentary-maker Hetty Nietsch came up with the idea several years ago after speaking to Dr.  Joep Lange, a renowned Dutch professor of infectious diseases. The first group of AIDS patients he and his fellow physicians saw at the Academic Medical Centre (AMC) in Amsterdam were all gay men. Many of them worked for airlines, particularly KLM. The flight attendants travelled all over the world. They had sexual encounters in numerous cities and brought the virus back to the Netherlands.

"Mysterious gay cancer”

Nietsche managed to discover the names of 35 of the victims. It’s unclear how many KLM employees died of AIDS. The company doesn’t register the cause of death, and many stewards who became ill didn’t want others to know their status. “If you had cancer”, says former purser Dennis van Puimbrouck, “then you were a victim. If you had AIDS, you were a pervert.” 30 of the colleagues he trained with died of what was then considered a mysterious gay cancer. “The impact was enormous”, says van Puimbrouck. “It was a huge blow to gay emancipation at a time when homosexuals were only beginning to come out of the closet.

In the documentary, Nietsch presents a colourful picture of the atmosphere 30 years ago. It was a time when KLM was booming: its jumbo jets were flying to the furthest corners of the globe, including Sydney, New York, Rio de Janeiro and San Francisco, all popular destinations for the company’s gay stewards. At the time, Amsterdam’s gay scene paled in comparison.

The world’s first AIDS patient was also a steward. He didn’t work for KLM but for Air Canada. Patient Zero, as he became known, had already infected 40 other men. Because stewards travel frequently, the virus spread extremely quickly.

AIDS also affected other businesses and airlines, but Nietsch consciously decided to feature the iconic Dutch airline. The documentary reveals how the disease appeared and spread, based on interviews with colleagues, family members and AMC physicians.

Big family

Nietsch made the documentary without the assistance of KLM, which 30 years after the outbreak of the disease still refuses to discuss the issue. “All the former KLM employees I approached were willing to speak,” says Nietsch. “The people who are still employed by KLM were barred from taking part. At the time, KLM didn’t know how to deal with the disease. It was a huge taboo, and it was commercially uninteresting to discuss these issues with the outside world. The airline could talk about it on an individual basis but not as a company to the general public.”

Nevertheless, KLM did not abandon staff who contracted HIV. Its medical service was in close touch with AMC specialists, employees who fell ill received regular visits from their bosses, and the company chartered buses so colleagues could attend cremations. When stewards who had the disease felt better, they were put back on the roster. According to Nietzsch, “the image that emerges is that KLM was one big family. The airline should be proud of that. Some KLM employees were even buried in blue KLM coffins.”

KLM is not planning to organise a memorial service to mark the 30th anniversary.

Related Article:

AIDS Was a Man-Made Pandemic