Hyderabad

The Handley Page Hyderabad was a single‑engine, low‑wing transport prototype developed in the early 1930s as the company’s response to a request from the Indian Civil Aviation Department for a durable, medium‑range aircraft capable of operating from the rugged airstrips of the Indian subcontinent. Drawing on the structural lessons of the earlier Handley Page H.P.42 airliner, the Hyderabad incorporated a semi‑monocoque fuselage constructed of duralumin alloys, a retractable under‑carriage and a spacious cabin that could be configured for ten passengers, mail, or light cargo. Powered by a 750 hp Bristol Pegasus radial engine, the aircraft achieved a maximum speed of 200 mph and a service ceiling of 22 000 feet, while its wide‑track landing gear and reinforced wing spars gave it exceptional handling on unprepared runways. Although only two prototypes were built before the project was cancelled in 1935 due to shifting economic priorities, the Hyderabad’s innovative combination of ruggedness and comfort influenced later Handley Page designs such as the H.P.53 and helped lay the groundwork for the development of reliable regional transport aircraft in pre‑war Britain and its overseas territories. Its brief existence remains a notable footnote in the evolution of colonial aviation logistics.