The Hawker Siddeley HS 748 is a medium-sized turboprop airliner originally designed by Avro in the late 1950s as a replacement for the now-aged DC-3s then in widespread service as feeder liners. Avro concentrated on performance, notably for STOL operations, and found a dedicated market. 380 aircraft were built by Hawker Siddeley. A larger development, the BAe ATP, attempted to compete with the de Havilland Canada Dash 8 but saw a limited production run.

The introduction of the HS-125-700 in 1976 brought with it significant performance and fuel economy benefits as the -700 incorporated Garrett TFE-731 turbofans. The 125-700 first flew on June 19 1976, and the model remained in production until it was replaced by the 125-800 in 1984.