Hawker Siddeley HS 748

Updated: October 2026 – A compact twin-engine aircraft rolls up, the propellers spin in front of strikingly long engine nacelles, and the wing sits not on top of the fuselage but under it. Add a high, almost whistling sound instead of the deep drone of modern turboprops: if you see something like that, you are very likely looking at a Hawker Siddeley HS 748, also known as the Avro 748. The British turboprop was a competitor of the Fokker F27, flew with airlines on every continent and served air forces as a transport, VIP aircraft and survey aircraft. Here you learn how to recognize it, how to tell it from the F27 and ATP, and where you can still find it today.

What is the Hawker Siddeley HS 748?

The HS 748 is a twin-engine pressurized turboprop airliner for 40 to 58 passengers. Its story begins in the late 1950s at Avro in Manchester. The manufacturer, until then known mainly for bombers such as the Lancaster and the Vulcan, was looking for a civil mainstay after many military programs ended. Market studies showed great demand for a successor to the countless Douglas DC-3s that were still flying short-haul routes at the time.

In early 1959 Avro decided to build the aircraft at its own risk. For power the engineers chose the proven Rolls-Royce Dart, which already powered the Vickers Viscount and the Fokker F27. Unlike Fokker, however, Avro went for a low wing. The aircraft was meant to be as independent as possible of ground equipment: with its own hydraulically extending stairs, rugged landing gear and good short-takeoff characteristics for simple airfields. In the structure, Avro emphasized fail-safe construction and a long service life.

The first prototype, registered G-APZV, took off on June 24, 1960 at the Woodford plant near Manchester. A second prototype with more powerful engines followed in April 1961. The launch customer was the British Skyways Coach-Air, which took delivery of its aircraft in 1962; early buyers also included BKS Air Transport and Aerolíneas Argentinas. Since Avro had meanwhile been absorbed into the Hawker Siddeley group, the type continued as the HS 748. With the founding of British Aerospace in 1977 it became the BAe 748 – you can find more on today’s legal successor on the page about BAE Systems, and on the engine manufacturer at Rolls-Royce.

The versions at a glance

The 748 was built for almost three decades and improved again and again, mostly with more powerful Dart versions and higher weights. The sources give differing production numbers per series; the sequence, however, is clear.

Version	Special feature
Series 1	First production version with Dart Mk 514, only a small number
Series 2	More powerful engines and higher weight, the market breakthrough
Series 2A	Even more powerful Dart variants, most-built version
Series 2B	About 1.2 m greater wingspan, modernized cabin
Super 748	From the mid-1980s, new cockpit and mufflers on the engines
Andover C.1 (HS 780)	Military transport with stretched fuselage, rear ramp and lowering landing gear
Andover CC.2	VIP and liaison aircraft of the RAF based on the standard 748
Coastguarder	Maritime surveillance version, one-off
HAL 748	Licensed production by Hindustan Aeronautics, e.g. for the Indian Air Force

Some aircraft also had a large cargo door in the rear fuselage, which allowed the 748 to be quickly turned into a freighter or combi aircraft. The successor BAe ATP was a thoroughly reworked 748 with a longer fuselage, new Pratt & Whitney Canada engines and six-blade propellers; it first flew in 1986.

The Andover: rear ramp and kneeling landing gear

For the Royal Air Force, the 748 became a true tactical transport. The Andover C.1 got a longer fuselage, an upswept rear fuselage with a large loading ramp and main landing gear that can be lowered for loading – the aircraft then “kneels” on the apron so that vehicles and pallets can get in more easily. A converted 748 prototype made the first flight in December 1963; the RAF had previously ordered 31 aircraft. From 1966 the Andover flew in troop transport, including with squadrons overseas.

To be distinguished from it is the Andover CC.2: six almost standard 748s flew as VIP and liaison aircraft, for many years with No. 32 Squadron at Northolt, at times also for flights of the royal family. Some C.1s were later converted into calibration aircraft (Andover E.3) that surveyed radio beacons and landing aids. Ten used Andovers went to the New Zealand air force from 1976, which used them until 1998. Some retired examples ended up with civil operators in Africa; the last commercially operated Andover was damaged beyond repair in South Sudan in 2015.

How to tell the Andover from other military transports is shown in the overview Recognizing military transports.

The three features that are enough to identify it

Then there is your ear: the Dart engines produce a bright, almost singing whistle that spotters recognize at once. What engine sounds reveal is explained in the post Recognizing aircraft types by sound. In the end, as always, the registration confirms the type.

HS 748, Fokker F27 or BAe ATP?

The three types are mixed up most often because they come from the same family or the same era. The finder helps narrow it down.

Other low-wing turboprops you may run into are the smaller Saab 340 with its GE engines and the larger Convair CV-580, a converted piston-engine airliner with Allison turboprops. The Soviet Antonov An-24 from the same period, on the other hand, is a high-wing aircraft. For an overall overview of modern and classic propeller aircraft, see the guide Telling turboprops apart.

Airliner, freighter, military aircraft

The 748 owed its success mainly to its ruggedness. Airlines in South America, Asia, Africa and Australia valued that it managed short, unpaved airfields and needed little infrastructure. Well-known civil operators included, besides Aerolíneas Argentinas, Varig, LAN Chile, Thai Airways, Philippine Airlines and Indian Airlines. In Great Britain, British Airways and Dan-Air flew them, among others.

Later in life many aircraft moved into cargo. With a large cargo door and the cabin removed, they carried mail, parcels and supplies, in Great Britain for example in overnight mail service. In Canada the 748 became a workhorse of the north: regional airlines used it as a passenger, combi and cargo aircraft for remote communities, often on gravel strips. There it lasted longer than almost anywhere else in the West.

Air forces also took it up. Besides the RAF, Australia (air force and navy), Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Venezuela, among others, used the 748 – as a transport, VIP aircraft or navigation trainer. The largest military user to this day is the Indian Air Force: Hindustan Aeronautics built 89 aircraft under license, most of them for the military, some for Indian Airlines.

The HS 748 in Germany

The 748 was also at home in German airspace. DLT, from which Lufthansa CityLine later emerged, operated several aircraft in regional service from 1981. Less well known is its use for flight inspection: from 1975 to 1994 some 748s flew for the air force and the Federal Air Navigation Services Authority (Bundesanstalt für Flugsicherung) from Lechfeld Air Base, checking radio beacons and instrument landing systems. In addition there were the RAF Andovers, which were stationed at Wildenrath until the early 1990s.

Where you still find the HS 748 today

In scheduled service in Europe, the 748 is history. Its last big stronghold in the West was Canada, where regional operators flew the type into the 2020s. In 2025, one of the last Canadian aircraft went to an aviation museum in the province of Ontario after its farewell flight.

You are most likely to see the 748 flying today in India. The air force’s HAL aircraft have their own certification and serve mainly as trainers and liaison aircraft. The air force is gradually replacing them with the Airbus C295, so the number of active “Avros” is falling. How to track down military aircraft is explained in Tracking military aircraft online.

In Great Britain a look into a museum is worthwhile. At the RAF Museum Cosford an Andover in the E.3A calibration version is on display – check before your visit which exhibits are currently accessible. Tips for visiting in person are on the spot page RAF Museum Cosford. And if you want to experience the type’s home, go to Manchester: the Avro plant at Woodford lay south of the city, and at Manchester Airport the Runway Visitor Park today recalls British aviation history. More on the region is in the guide Plane spotting in Manchester.

Place	Chance of a hit	Why
India (military air bases)	medium, falling	Air force HAL 748s, gradual replacement by the C295
Museums in Great Britain and Canada	high	Andovers and 748s on display, check holdings beforehand
Airports in Central Europe	very low	No regular traffic any more, ferry flights at most

How to plan the hunt for a 748

A flying 748 is a real stroke of luck today. The search becomes worthwhile if you prepare well. How to track down rare types is covered in the post Spotting rare aircraft, how to judge the rarity of a sighting in How rare is my sighting?; general tips on vintage aircraft are in Recognizing historic aircraft.

With military aircraft in particular, not every location is allowed. What you need to keep in mind is in Photographing military airfields.

Photo tips specifically for the HS 748

You can work out when the light suits your location with the guide Planning the sun position for your photo spot.

Conclusion

The HS 748 is a piece of British aviation history: an Avro design from the time after the big bomber programs and a rugged DC-3 successor that served from Argentina to Canada, from India to Germany. As the Andover it took troops and vehicles aboard via a rear ramp, as the HAL 748 it flies in India to this day. For spotters in Central Europe it is mainly a museum piece – and every flying sighting a real stroke of luck.