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British AerospaceRegional jetPartially retired

BAe 146 / Avro RJ family

The BAe 146 / RJ story, from first flight to lasting reputation

The high-lift four-engine regional jet family built for city airports, steep approaches, and unusual operating niches.

BAe 146 / Avro RJ family is a partially retired regional jet built by British Aerospace. It first flew in 1981, entered service in 1983, and went on to shape airline fleets, passenger journeys, and aviation memory.

First flight

1981

Service entry

1983

Seating band

70 to 112

BAe 146 / Avro RJ family is a partially retired regional jet by British Aerospace, first flown in 1981 and introduced in 1983, with typical seating for 70 to 112 and range up to 1,800 nautical miles.

Regional coverage here treats route economics, cabin feel, airport practicality, and airline deployment as equally important parts of the aircraft’s identity.

Range band

1,800 nm

Notable operators

Swissair · CityJet · Lufthansa CityLine · Brussels Airlines

Source stack

  • Official manufacturer program pages
  • type certificate and airport planning data
  • operator configuration and fleet references

Variants

Representative variants

Manufacturer pageForum hubCompare families

Variant

Avro RJ100

Avro RJ100 is a partially retired member of the BAe 146 / Avro RJ family, known for the later high-capacity branch most associated with the family’s final passenger phase.

Range 1,600 nm · Entry 1997

Specifications

Current public facts

Manufacturer
British Aerospace
Program history
Class
Regional jet
Aircraft category
First flight
1981-09-03
Program history
Service entry
1983-05-17
Operator records
Current status
Partially retired
Fleet references
Typical seating
70 to 112
Operator and cabin references
Range band
Up to 1,800 nm
Program literature
Cruise speed
412 kt
Planning data

Archive moments

Human context

This family survives in memory through sound and mission more than pure scale: quiet airport arrivals, dense flaps, and routes other jets could not handle as gracefully.
These aircraft earn archive space when frequency, network fit, and cabin feel define how people actually remember regional flying.

Timeline

Program milestones

  1. 1981

    First flight

    The BAe 146 / RJ begins flight testing and establishes the public shape of the family.

  2. 1983

    Service entry

    The family enters passenger or executive service and begins building its operating footprint.

  3. Today

    Reduced but active

    Passenger or executive use continues in smaller numbers, making the family feel historical and current at the same time.

Related news

Editorial context

All news
No editorial dispatches are attached to this family yet. The aircraft record is live, and newsroom or archive coverage can be layered onto it later without changing the URL.

Forum threads

Community memory

Family hub