This aircraft was built by Hawker Siddeley Aircraft Limited, Woodford, Manchester, England - 1971

It was built for Mount Cook Airlines, Christchurch, New Zealand

Entered onto the New Zealand Aircraft Register as ZK-DES - June 04, 1971

Registered to Mount Cook Airlines, Christchurch

First flown from Woodford as ZK-DES - June 04, 1971

Accepted by Mount Cook Airlines at Woodford - June 1971

It arrived at Christchurch having completed its ferry flight to New Zealand - July 02, 1971

The aircraft was named 'Tongariro' (carried away by the South Wind)

Operated its first revenue service - ?

Registered to The Mount Cook Group Ltd, Christchurch - February 07, 1978

Leased to Servico Acoreano de Transportes Aereos (SATA Air Acores), Ponta Delgarda, Portugal - June 26, 1982

Returned to Mount Cook at the end of the lease - September 26, 1982

The aircraft was renamed 'Ruapehu'

It was damaged when a propeller struck the GPU on startup at Queenstown - March 19, 1990

It was repaired and returned to service

It operated its final revenue service Queenstown - Chritschurch as NZ5028 - February 05, 1996

This was the airline's last HS-748 revenue service

The aircraft was withdrawn from use and stored at Christchurch

Leased to Royal Tongan Airlines, Nuku'alofa, Tonga - October 15, 1997

Ferried Christchurch - Tonga - October 15, 1997

Returned to Mount Cook at the end of the lease - November 28, 1997

Ferried Nuku'alofa - Auckland - Christchurch and returned to storage - November 29, 1997

It was sold to Emerald Airways Limited, England - January 1998

It arrived at Southend on completion of the ferry flight to England - February 08, 1998

Cancelled from the New Zealand Aircraft Register - February 25, 1998

Entered onto the British Aircraft Register as G-SOEI (CofR G-SOEI/R1) - February 25, 1998

Registered to Emerald Airways Limited, Leeds, United Kingdom

Ferried Southend - Exeter in the Mount Cook livery - April 13, 1998

The Certificate of Airworthiness (CofA) was issued - April 18, 1998

It was observed at Hurn in the basic Mount Cook livery but without titles - November 22, 2005

Ferried Newcastle - Blackpool when Emerald's AOC was suspended as JEM04P - May 04, 2006

The aircraft had flown 54,070 hours with 61,012 cycles to date

Sold to International Air Parts Pty Ltd, England - October 16, 2006

Registered to PTB (Emerald) Pty Ltd, Blackpool (CofR G-SOEI/R2) - December 12, 2006

Cancelled from the British Aircraft Register - June 29, 2009

Sold to Aerospace Trust Management LLC Trustee, Wilmington, Delaware - June 29, 2009

It was observed at Blackpool undergoing engine tests as 'N748D' - June 30, 2009

Entered onto the United States Aircraft Register as N748D - July 21, 2009

Registered to Aerospace Trust Management LLC Trustee, Wilmington, Delaware

This aircraft did not leave England

Ferried Blackpool - Southend for storage - August 17, 2009

It was observed at Southend having some work carried out on it - April 2011

It was reported that it had been sold to a private user in Kenya but this did not eventuate - June 23, 2015

The aircraft remained stored at Southend

It was reregistered as N743LA - May 16, 2016

Registered to Zone 4 International Limited Liability Company, Rex, Georgia

This registration was never applied to the aircraft

Cancelled from the United States Aircraft Register - February 02, 2017

It was reported to have been sold to Planes For Africa Limited, Kenya t/a Avro Express Limited - April 2017

Entered ontio the Kenyan Aircraft Register as '5Y-CHD' - April 07, 2017

Registered to Zone 4 International Limited Liability Company, Rex, Georgia

This sale and the Kenyan registration has never been confirmed

The aircraft remained stored at Southend

Breaking up commenced at Southend - August 2017

ZK-DES. Mount Cook Line - 'Tongariro' in the early livery at Auckland Airport, February 1983.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0748-023.)

ZK-DES. Mount Cook Line - 'Tongariro' in the early livery at Auckland Airport, July 1983.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0748-030.)

ZK-DES. Mount Cook Line - 'Tongariro' in the revised livery at Auckland Airport, November 1983.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0748-018.)

ZK-DES. Mount Cook Airline - 'Tongariro' in the final livery at Wellington Airport, November 1992.

(M. Richardson Copyright Image 0748-015.)

G-SOEI. Emerald Airways - in the basic 'Mount Cook' livery at Paris Charles de Gualle Airport, April 2004.

(C. Laugier Copyright Image 0748-045.)