BAE Systems

26 The Aircraft of British Aerospace and BAE SYSTEMS 1977 - 2017

prototype 2B (which was also fitted with a

Large Freight Door) first flew on 22 June

1979. Even this development was not this
      sturdy airliner’s last, for in 1983 BAe
      announced the Super 748 with yet more
      powerful Darts together with hush kits,
      greater fuel efficiency, an interior redesign

and a more advanced flight deck. The first

Super 748 G-BLGJ flew on 30 June 1984

and was displayed at Farnborough. By this

time the number of deliveries had slowed

to a trickle and the final 748 delivery was

to Makung Airlines of Taiwan on 24

January 1989. A total of 381 748s built

and all bar the first prototype were

delivered to customers.

BAe ATP – the 748 replacement

In 1980 BAe Manchester (Woodford and

Chadderton) project development team

seriously began planning for a 748

replacement. The 748 was one of a trio of

types in 40+ seat market, the others

being the De Havilland Canada Dash 7

and the Fokker F-27. For a long time 748

operators had been asking for a

replacement and where a revamped 748

might have been the obvious choice by

then there were several competitors in

the offing; the De Havilland Canada Dash

8 and the Franco-Italian ATR42. The

brand-new ATR42 was rightly focused on

a large market segment of perhaps 800

aircraft in the 40-50 seat market and

offered a step change in technology,

primarily in terms of structural weight

through its use of composites and

contemporary aerodynamics, to lower

operating costs.

The attitude of the BAe Board

The former Chief Test Pilot at Woodford,

Robby Robinson wrote that ....“many

members of the (BAe) Board were keen to

get rid of the civil side of BAe, to concentrate

on the military side”.... The Board’s brief to

the 748 replacement team was ... “for a

minimum change from the 748 but to

increase the seating capacity from 48 to 70”.

ˆ The prototype

ATP G-MATP and

first production

aircraft G-BMYM

which flew in June

1986 and February

1987 respectively.

(Avro Heritage)

The first BAe 748 Series 2B G-BGJV flying over Manchester.

While in service with the Sri Lankan Air Force it was shot down

by a SAM missile fired by Tamil separatists. (Avro Heritage)