RE: Future of 146/Avro RJ?
Probably because BAe were heavily involved in the Airbus projects. The 1-11 was abandoned, despite several new design projects (the 1-11 -700 and BAC 2-11) – this was partly due to lack of interest by the flag carrier, BA. The then state owned airline was concentrating on the Boeing twinjets (737, 757) for it’s short haul and European network.
The 146 was designed to fill a niche market, and back in the 1980’s, small regional jets were seen as something of a novelty. Remember all those routes the likes of the F27 and HS748 used to fly? They have all been replaced by the ERJ-145 and CRJ variants, but turboprops were seen as the only suitable aicraft type to operate on very short routes before the 90’s arrived. This was partly due to the fact they were a lot more economical to operate than say, a 737.
While the 146 and RJ series sold well in certain markets, the arrival of the CRJ and ERJ-145 sealed it’s fate. Both of the new twinjets could fly higher, faster and further than the 146 and were very economical to operate. Now, with the ERJ-170 around the corner and the CRJ-700 already in service, the Canadian and Brazilian aircraft builders are set to dominate the regional jet market. The proposed Bae RJX project was a case of too little too late. The recent downturn in the aviation industry was just the excuse Bae Systems needed to axe the RJX. A shame.
I suppose Bae want to concentrate heavily on it’s Airbus commitments, especially with the A380 in development, not to mention the recent arrival of the A340-600.
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