Description

The British Aerospace BAe 146 is the most successful British civil jetliner, produced by British Aerospace (later part of BAE systems) in the early stage of the program, with the later version known as the Avro RJ produced by Avro International Aerospace. A total of over 390 BAe 146/Avro RJ aircraft have been built, making it a popular regional and short haul jetliner of its time.

The piece in your possession was crafted from JOTA Aviation BAe 146-200. It was first delivered to San Diego, California based Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) in December of 1985 and finished its North American career with USAir. In 1996 the aircraft returned home and worked for the British based company Flightline. Under the Flightline operator the aircraft was leased to a number of large European regional carriers, such as: Air Dolomitri, Lufthansa, Goldwing Airlines, Croatia Airlines, CityJet and Air France. The four-engine configuration made it an iconic aircraft for operating into London City Airport. In 2013 the aircraft was converted into business class configuration and with JOTA, ‘SMLA’ was used primarily for football charters, although it also did liveried tours for the Rolling Stones, U2, Robbie Williams to name a few. In August 2020 G-SMLA was retired from JOTA Aviation’s fleet and stored at their maintenance base in Cranfield, UK.

The dismantlement of the aircraft began in February 2024 and with the help of the CEO and Managing Director of JOTA Aviation – Andy Green, Fuselage Creations team was able to salvage some parts of G-SMLA for aviation enthusiasts around the world to enjoy.