The BAe ATP was an airliner designed as a modification to the Avro 748. The fuel crisis and increasing worries about aircraft noise, led business planners at British Aerospace to believe that there was a market for a short range, low noise, fuel efficient turbo-prop aircraft.

The airframe of the Avro 748 was redesigned with a lengthened 26.01m body and a 30.62m wing span. Minor modifcations were made to the nose and tail shapes as well as smaller windows on a shorter pitch. The twin Rolls-Royce Dart engines were replaced with Pratt & Whitney PW126 fuel efficient engines. A custom designed, slow turning, six-blade propeller was developed by Hamilton Standard.

The aircraft first flew in August 1986 and entered service with British Midland in 1988.

In total 62 aircraft were assembled at BAe's Woodford facility with the manufacture of the airframe and wings undertaken at Chadderton. Production ended in 1996. The plane can accommodate between 64 and 72 passengers depending on the seat configuration. The biggest operators of the aircraft are British Airways CitiExpress and West Air Sweden .

In 2001 the ATP Freighter project allowed six ATP’s to be converted in to cargo aircraft for West Air Sweden. Using a modification of the Avro 748 freight door, the ATPF can carry 30% more cargo than its predecessor with a 10% increase in running costs. The ATPF made it first flight from West Air Sweden’s facility in Lidköping on 10 July 2002.

Specification

• Length: 26.01 m
• Height: 7.60 m
• Wing span: 30.63m
• Standard layout: 68 seats
• Maximum take-off weight: 22,930 kg
• Engines: Two PW126 with a maximum rating of 1,978 kW
• Fuel capacity: 6,364 litres
• Normal operating speed: 266 knots
• Maximum operating altitude: 25,000 ft
• Full-laden range: 1740 km

See Also:List of civil aircraft