Bristol Britannia 102

The 102 is the 100 series production version for BOAC: a 114 ft (35 m) fuselage, Proteus 705 engines and a 74-seat cabin. Twenty-five were ordered and 15 built; the last ten were cancelled in favour of the longer-range 300 series.

After a long period of trials and the fitting of modified Proteus 765 engines, which greatly reduced breakdowns, full certification came at the end of 1955 and the first two 102s were delivered to BOAC on 30 December for crew training. Scheduled service began on 1 February 1957 with a London–Johannesburg flight; Sydney followed in March and Tokyo in July. By August 1957 BOAC had all fifteen. In April 1959 one was leased to Ghana Airways for the Accra–London route, and in time the 102 passed to other BOAC associates: Cathay Pacific, Central African, East African, Nigeria and Malayan Airways.