The British Aerspace BAe ATP was a 1990s era enhancement of the Hawker Siddeley HS748. The fuselage was stretched and passenger capacity/payload increased, avionics upgraded, engines upgraded and interior cabin updated to 1990s comfort standards. An already very capable and rugged aircraft became even more so in the form of the new BAe ATP.

It was developed at the time of the Dash-8, SAAB 2000, Fokker 50 and ATR and all four commuter turboprops competed for an equal share of the pie, at a time when the global economy was very much depressed as compared to the 2000s. The market simply could not absorb all the offers by the various manufacturers and in hindsight, we know that the ATR and Dash-8 were the clear marketplace leaders.