British Aerospace Bae 146-Rj70

Quad Jet

The BAe 146-RJ70, marketed as the Avro RJ70 after British Aerospace's 1993 rebranding, is the stretched member of the iconic four-engine regional jet family that became synonymous with quiet, short-field operations. Seating 82-94 passengers, the RJ70 extended the fuselage of the original BAe 146-200 by 6 feet 5 inches, making it the longest variant in the series. What sets this aircraft apart is its unusual four-engine configuration, rare among regional jets, powered by Lycoming ALF 502 turbofans mounted high on the wings. This design delivers exceptional noise performance (the "Whisperjet") and allows operations from challenging airports with steep approaches, short runways, and noise-sensitive communities, including London City Airport's demanding 5.5-degree glideslope. The type entered service in 1993 and remained in production until 2003, when the entire RJ family was discontinued as newer twin-engine designs like the Embraer E-Jet and Bombardier CRJ series captured the market with better fuel efficiency. The RJ70's four engines, while offering redundancy and hot-and-high performance, proved costly to maintain in an era of rising fuel prices. Despite this, the aircraft carved out a loyal niche with operators serving secondary airports, oil-and-gas charters, and VIP transport. Its 1,700-nautical-mile range and ability to operate from runways as short as 4,500 feet made it a versatile workhorse for routes where larger twins couldn't venture. Today, the RJ70 remains in limited service with regional carriers, charter operators, and government agencies, valued for its rugged reliability and unmatched field performance. SkyMeter has tracked 3 flights across 3 airframes and 1 operators, with operations spanning routes.