How many passengers did BOAC's Hythe class carry?

Short answer

The H.1 had 16 seats on a single deck, the H.2 added a promenade deck, and the H.3 carried 24 seats or bunks for 16. The six demilitarised Mark IIIs from late 1942 carried 22 passengers and 2 tons of cargo, or 16 passengers and 3 tons.

Published: November 4, 2026 · Updated: November 4, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

How many passengers did BOAC's Hythe class carry?

Beechcraft King Air 65-90

Mail to Nigeria and India

At the end of 1942, British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) obtained six demilitarised Sunderland Mark IIIs from the production line for mail service to Nigeria and India, with capacity for 22 passengers and 2 tons of cargo, or 16 passengers and 3 tons. In 1943 a further six Sunderland IIIs were obtained. The conversions to airliner standard were carried out at Hythe, in Kent, towards the end of the war. They could carry up to 2,946 kg (6,500 lb) of mail.

The H.1, H.2 and H.3 configurations

After the war ended, BOAC obtained more Mark IIIs and gradually improved passenger accommodation, in three configurations. The bunks were removed and civil-standard seating was fitted: the H.1 had 16 seats on a single deck, the H.2 added a promenade deck, and the H.3 carried 24 seats, or bunks for 16.

Twenty-nine aircraft and a successor

These conversions were named Hythe, and BOAC was operating 29 of them by the end of the war. A more refined civil conversion of the Sunderland was completed by the manufacturer as the post-war Short Sandringham.