Development
The original 748 design started in 1958 after the infamous Duncan Sandys 1957 Defence White Paper ended most military manned aircraft development in the UK, and Avro decided to re-enter the civilian market.
The Vickers Viscount had the larger end of the short-haul market neatly wrapped up, so Avro decided to design to a smaller regional airliner powered by two Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop engines and intended to replace the many DC-3 Dakotas that were now reaching the end of their lifespan.
Avro was not the only company to see the potential for a DC-3 replacement, and by this point the Fokker F27 Friendship was well advanced. Avro therefore decided to compete by producing a design with better short-field performance, allowing it to operate from smaller airports and those with rough surfaces.
The first Avro 748 flew from the company's Woodford, Cheshire plant on 24 June 1960, and the two prototypes quickly proved the type's short field performance. 18 Avro 748 Series 1 aircraft were produced, the first for Skyways Coach-Air being delivered in April 1962. However, the majority of the series 1 were delivered to Aerolíneas Argentinas. By this point, Avro's individual identity within the Hawker Siddeley Group had ended and the design became known as the HS 748.
The 748 Series 1 and Series 2 was licence-produced in India by Hindustan Aeronautics as the HAL-748. HAL built 89 aircraft in India, 72 for the Indian Air Force and 17 for the Indian Airlines Corporation.
The ICAO designator as used in flight plans is A748.
Basic price for a new Avro 748 Series 1 in 1960 was £176,000, with the corresponding Avro 748 Series 2 being £196,000.
Read more about this topic: Hawker Siddeley HS 748
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—Gail Sheehy (20th century)
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