Fokker F27 Friendship

Reliability, cabin volume, and low operating cost. The Rolls-Royce Dart was already a proven engine thanks to fleet experience on the Vickers Viscount, the high-wing cabin offered more passenger comfort than contemporary low-wing turboprops, short-field performance suited austere airfields, and per-seat operating cost ran around 30% lower than contemporary turbojet competitors. Rivals such as the Vickers Viscount (mainly British and Commonwealth markets) and Convair 580 (strong U.S. domestic, but production-limited) could not match that combination. Fokker reinforced sales with aggressive financing, the Fairchild U.S. licence-production agreement, and a customer-support network that competitors could not match.

The Fokker 50 is an updated F27 derivative. Fokker launched its development in 1983, keeping the F27 wing, fuselage cross-section, and tail unit while changing four key elements: (1) Pratt & Whitney Canada PW125B turboprops replaced the Dart for better fuel efficiency and lower operating cost; (2) six-blade composite propellers replaced the F27's four-blade Dart props and ran much quieter; (3) a glass cockpit took over avionics duties; and (4) cabin appointments were upgraded. First flight came in 1985 and entry into service in 1987, with ~213 built before Fokker's 1996 bankruptcy. In effect the Fokker 50 is a second-generation F27 — the same structure with F100-era systems and engines.

Yes — roughly 50-80 airframes remain operational in 2026, mainly in cargo, freight, and special-mission roles. Some early airframes are still flying after 60+ years, an exceptional record for any 1950s airliner. Air Contractors / ASL Airlines Ireland operates F27 freighters on European parcel-delivery routes. Nigerian, Sudanese, Angolan, Indonesian, Bangladeshi, and Pakistani cargo operators continue to use the type on low-density freight routes. Iranian, Pakistani, and several other smaller air arms still fly military F27, FH-227, and F27 Maritime examples.

They were direct competitors. The Vickers Viscount was a British four-engine Dart design, ~445 built from 1948 to 1964, dominant across British Commonwealth and European routes. The F27 Friendship was a Dutch twin-engine Dart design, ~786 built from 1955 to 1987, with broader global reach. The Viscount came first — the world's first turboprop airliner in commercial service in 1953 — and was hugely influential, but its production run was smaller. The F27 outsold it because twin-engine economics beat four-engine, the high wing gave better cabin volume, and the F27 launched just as Viscount production was winding down. Both were Rolls-Royce Dart platforms; the F27 simply scaled further commercially.

Several survivors are on display. Aviodrome at Lelystad — the Dutch national aviation museum — holds a comprehensive Fokker heritage collection. The Royal Air Force Museum at Cosford has an F27 Maritime example, the Australian War Memorial in Canberra holds a RAAF F27, and other aviation museums around the world hold further airframes. The 786-aircraft production base supports a healthy preservation pool.