7 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Handley Page HP-67 Hastings T5, UK - Air Force AN0909783: Mike Freer - Touchdown-aviation· GFDL 1.2
- 2. Emergency Exit, Handley Page Hastings: Thylacin· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 3. Hastings C2: TSRL· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 4. Hastings TG 582 over London, Xmas Island Aug 1956: The photograph was taken by Dennis Hobbs, the Navigator of the plane TG582· Public domain
- 5. RNZAF Handley Page HP-95 Hastings C3 Zuppicich: Colin Zuppicich· GFDL 1.2
- 6. 40 Sqdrn RNZAF Hastings: Ron Boyes. Posted by Photographers request.· Public domain
- 7. HP.67 Hastings C.3 NZ5804 40 Sqn RNZAF LAP 10.10.53 edited-2: RuthAS· CC BY-SA 3.0
what is it?
The Handley Page HP.67 Hastings is a retired British troop-carrier and freight transport aircraft designed and manufactured by aviation company Handley Page for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Upon its introduction to service during September 1948, the Hastings was the largest transport plane ever designed for the service. Development of the Hastings had been initiated during the Second World War in response to Air Staff Specification C.3/44, which sought a new large four-engined transport aircraft for the RAF. Early on, development of a civil-oriented derivative had been prioritised by the company, but this direction was reversed following an accident.
How to recognise it: 4 piston engines with propellers · 34.4 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 80 years ago, in 1946.
- Top speed is 4.3× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 34.4 m: about 8 cars parked nose to tail.
- Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 6 African elephants (~6 t each).
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1946-05-07
- introduced
- 1948
- retired
- 1977
- status
- retired
- number built
- 151
- role
- transport aircraft
- origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- makers
- Handley Page
- engines
- 4× Bristol Hercules 106
- passengers
- 35
- length
- 24.9 m
- wingspan
- 34.4 m
- height
- 6.9 m
- max take-off weight
- 36.3 t
- top speed
- 560 km/h
- cruise speed
- 468 km/h
- range
- —
- ceiling
- 8,077 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q535179, Wikipedia: Handley Page Hastings (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.