British European Airways had a manufacturer on hand to develop its bespoke trijet however it saw fit, but that didn’t quell the carrier’s desire to buy Boeing. Stephen Skinner concludes his two-part overview of the Hawker Siddeley Trident

The maiden Trident 3B, G-AWYZ (c/n 2301), took to the air for the first time on December 12, 1969
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/ ATI COLLECTION
Despite having dismissed de Havilland’s original design and calling for its range to be halved, British European Airways (BEA) quickly realised the need for a longer-range Trident variant shortly after pressing its 1C jets into service.