BAE Systems

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

dramatically reduced production rate,

down from 42 aircraft a year to 18-20 per

year. Production would be limited and

market driven not product driven. If BAe

could not supply an aircraft quickly that

was not to be a problem.

Asset Management

To deal with this large fleet of leased

aircraft (which included ATPs and

Jetstreams) in January 1993 BAe

established the Asset Management

Organisation at Bishop Square, Hatfield to

manage these aircraft, quite separately

from the Sales Organisation. With better

planning and more rigorous

management they were quickly able to

recover and stabilise the situation within a

short period.

In January 1993, British Aerospace had

118 BAe 146 aircraft on its books, 21 idle

and 40 due to be returned that year. At

the peak of the recession there were 44

BAe 146s parked. Within three years, Asset

Management had reduced the idle fleet

to zero and raised the market value of the

lease rates to a level that supported the

sales effort of new build aircraft.

Rebranding – Regional Jet

By 1990, with some 202 aircraft ordered

and 157 delivered, British Aerospace was

satisfied that the 146 had proved a

success in competition with the Fokker

100. However, BAe were aware that there
     was a need to address misgivings
     amongst some in the airliner market. Just
     prior to Farnborough 1990 BAe

European ‘blue chip’ airlines in the market

for regional airliners: Crossair/Swissair,

Lufthansa, Sabena and British Airways.

These airlines were much more secure

than many of the earlier regional

operators that had ordered the 146 and

whose weaker finances had contributed

to BAe’s financial problems in 1992.

Swiss formally began operations in

April 2002 and it had four Avro RJ85s and

15 RJ100s branded as ‘Jumbolinos’. Swiss

continues to operate its British jets

though they will all be phased out in

2017. In August 2012 Lufthansa said
      goodbye to the Avro RJ when the last
      revenue flight arrived at its Munich hub
      from Cologne flown by RJ85 D-AVRR. In
      those 18 years, its 18 Avro RJs flew more
      than 575,000 flights and carried more
      than 30 million passengers safely to their
      destinations. At one time in the 2000s
      Lufthansa had headed up the largest fleet
      of 146s and RJs which included Lufthansa
      Cityline, Eurowings, and Air Dolomiti. This
      made the Lufthansa Regional grouping
      responsible for the world’s largest BAe
      146/Avro RJ fleet with 37 aircraft. Now all
      of those 146s and RJs have been replaced
      by newer types.

Best-selling British jetliner

With the delivery of D-AVRD to Lufthansa,

On 10 January 2002, after cancellation of the Avro

RJX, the three RJXs built took to the air for a

photo session. The first two RJXs in their element;

G-ORJX, RJX85 and G-IRJX, RJX100. The former is

in store at BAE Prestwick and the latter made one

more flight into nearby Manchester Airport where

it is preserved. (BAE Systems)

announced a number of major

improvements to the 146 family. The

most important change to this

development of the 146 was the

introduction an improved engine, which

lowered maintenance costs, which had

proved an impediment to some sales.

Textron Lycoming added an extra low

compressor stage and FADEC which

provided smoother running. The LF507

was a great improvement, with a removal

rate that was half that of its predecessor.

To emphasise the improvements the

aircraft were rebranded as Avro Regional

Jets, so each model would be identified

by their approximate passenger capacity

with five-abreast seating:

● Avro RJ70 (former 146-100)

● Avro RJ85 (former 146-200)

● Avro RJ100 (former 146-300).

As an additional marketing stimulus,

the RJs were offered with customer

support packages which guaranteed

reliability, and maintenance costs would

be no higher than a comparable twin-jet.

The RJs in service with

major operators

British Aerospace was justifiably pleased

that between 1993 and 1995 it had

acquired a reputable order book with

contracts from four of the six major

G-LUXE, the 146-100 and later 146-300 prototype, was converted to
become an Atmospheric Research Aircraft equipped with a multitude
of fuselage-mounted and underwing pod sensors. It can carry a crew
of scientists and additional fuel tanks provide a greater range than
the standard 146. (BAE Systems)