Origins
Fokker was founded in 1912 by Anthony Fokker — a young Dutch aviation pioneer who established his first factory in Germany before relocating to the Netherlands after the First World War. The company — formally the Koninklijke Nederlandse Vliegtuigenfabriek Fokker (Royal Dutch Aircraft Factory) — became one of the most important aircraft manufacturers in history, spanning eight decades from the earliest days of military aviation to the jet age. Fokker achieved fame in the First World War with the Eindecker and Dr.I triplane, dominated interwar commercial aviation with the F.VII trimotor, and in the postwar era built the F27 Friendship and F28 Fellowship — two of the most successful regional transport aircraft ever produced. The company declared bankruptcy in 1996, ending 84 years of continuous aircraft manufacture.
Historical Overview
First World War Era (1912–1921)
Fokker's wartime designs for Germany made Anthony Fokker famous worldwide. The Fokker Eindecker series (E.I through E.IV, 1915–16) introduced the synchronised machine gun — firing through the propeller arc — giving Germany air superiority during the period known as the "Fokker Scourge." The Fokker Dr.I triplane (1917) became immortalised as the mount of Manfred von Richthofen — the Red Baron. The Fokker D.VII (1918) was widely considered the finest fighter of the First World War, so feared by the Allies that its surrender was specifically demanded in the Armistice terms. The Fokker D.VIII (E.V) was the last German fighter to enter service before the Armistice.
Interwar Commercial Aviation (1922–1940)
After the war Anthony Fokker smuggled his aircraft and engines back to the Netherlands and rebuilt the company at Amsterdam. The Fokker F.II and F.III were early airliners that established KLM's first routes. The Fokker F.VII and its trimotor development the Fokker F.VIIb/3m became the dominant airliners of the late 1920s — operated by airlines worldwide and used for record-breaking long-distance flights including the first transpacific crossing. The Fokker C.V was a widely exported military reconnaissance biplane. The Fokker D.XXI (1936) and Fokker G.1 (1937) were advanced fighters developed for the Dutch Air Force, both seeing combat during the German invasion of May 1940. The Fokker T.V was a twin-engine bomber, and the Fokker T.VIII a torpedo bomber floatplane.
Postwar Aircraft (1945–1996)
Trainers and Early Postwar Types
Fokker resumed production after liberation with a series of trainer aircraft. The Fokker S-11 Instructor and S-12 were single-engine piston trainers widely exported to air forces in Europe, Latin America, and Israel. The Fokker S-14 Machtrainer (1951) was a pioneering single-engine jet trainer — one of the first jet trainers in the world — though it did not achieve large-scale production. The Fokker S-13 Universal Trainer was a further development. The Fokker F.25 Promotor was a light utility aircraft of the immediate postwar period.
The F27 Friendship — Fokker's Greatest Success
The Fokker F27 Friendship (first flight 1955) was the most successful turboprop airliner ever built — a twin Rolls-Royce Dart-powered regional transport that entered service with Aer Lingus in 1958 and went on to be produced in the Netherlands and under licence by Fairchild in the United States, with a combined total of over 786 aircraft. The F27 served with airlines, air forces, and government operators on every continent, renowned for its reliability, short-field performance, and passenger comfort. It remained in production until 1987 — a 32-year production run that stands as one of the longest in commercial aviation history. The Fokker 50 (1985) was a thoroughly modernised successor with new Pratt & Whitney Canada PW125B turboprops, advanced avionics, and a redesigned interior, produced until 1997 with 213 built. The Fokker 60 Utility was a stretched military transport variant of the Fokker 50.
The F28 Fellowship — Europe's First Regional Jet
The Fokker F28 Fellowship (first flight 1967) was Fokker's entry into the jet age — a twin Rolls-Royce Spey-powered short-haul regional jet that filled the gap between turboprops and larger mainline jets. Produced in six variants with seating for 55 to 85 passengers, 241 F28s were built, serving airlines across Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. The F28 established Fokker as a credible jet manufacturer and laid the foundation for the company's final generation of aircraft.
The Final Generation — Fokker 70 and Fokker 100
The Fokker 100 (first flight 1986) was Fokker's most advanced and most commercially ambitious aircraft — a twin Rolls-Royce Tay-powered 107-seat regional jet that represented a complete redesign of the F28 airframe with supercritical wings, advanced avionics, and modern cabin standards. With 283 aircraft delivered to airlines including American Airlines, USAir, and Swissair, the Fokker 100 was a genuine commercial success — but the development costs, combined with a difficult market and the collapse of a planned merger with DASA, ultimately drove the company into bankruptcy in 1996. The Fokker 70 (first flight 1993) was a shortened 79-seat variant of the Fokker 100, with 48 aircraft delivered before production ended. The Fokker 80 and Fokker 130 were projected developments that never reached production.
Legacy
Fokker's bankruptcy in 1996 was one of the most significant losses in European aviation history. From the Eindecker's synchronised gun to the Fokker 100's supercritical wing, the company contributed fundamental innovations to military and commercial aviation across eight decades. The F27 Friendship and F28 Fellowship remain in service worldwide, and the Fokker 100 and 70 continue to fly with regional carriers decades after the factory closed. The Fokker name lives on through maintenance and support organisations, and periodic revival projects — a testament to the enduring quality of the designs that bore the name.