Newsletter
ES
Sign in

Avro RJ85 · N501XJ · Northwest Airlines

Avro RJ85 illustration in Northwest Airlines livery Illustrative image; it may differ from the actual aircraft.

Avro RJ85

BAE146-2208Unknown
RegistrationUSN501XJ
Verified aircraft dataagainst the official civil aviation registerWhat does this badge mean?We checked that this aircraft’s registration, serial number and model match the official civil aviation register: FAA (United States), data as of Oct 8, 2026.That makes its identity more reliable. The verification expires after 12 months: if the register stops confirming it, the badge disappears.How we verify
OperatorNorthwest Airlines
2operators
0incidents
0accidents
0logbook years
0photos

Avro RJ85 built in 1992. Has operated for Mesaba Airlines and Northwest Airlines.

NewNearly newYoungMatureAgingOld
Old · 34 years · ≈ 68,000 flight hours (approx.)
Vuelopedia is a work in progress: it currently holds about 30% of the information we expect to have by the third quarter of 2027. Although we use only official, highly reliable sources, some aircraft data and history may still contain errors or inaccuracies. We work hard to clear every anomaly from the records using specialized verification tools.

Recent flights

Checking flight activity…

Technical data

ManufacturerBAE Systems
First flight1992
Country of registrationEstados Unidos
MSN2208
Hex / ICAO 24-bitA63FBD
VerificationIdentity verified against the official register of FAA (United States) · Oct 8, 2026

The model · BAe 146 / Avro RJ

Figures for the BAe 146-300 variant, the most representative of the family

Length31.0 m102 ft
Wingspan26.3 m86 ft
Height8.6 m28 ft
Range3,340 km1,803 NMWith a typical passenger load
Cruise speed743 km/h401 ktMach 0.70
Service ceiling9,450 m31,004 ftIt flies above Everest (1.1 times its height)
Maximum take-off weight45,132 kg99,499 lb
Maximum payload19,492 kg42,972 lbIts 100 passengers with baggage would weigh about 10.0 t; the rest is fuel and cargo
Typical capacity100 passengersUp to 112 in a high-density layout
Endurance4 h 30 minAt cruise speed, non-stop

With its 3,340 km range, from Minneapolis it could fly non-stop as far as:

MEXMexico City2,880 kmCUNCancún2,714 kmHAVHavana2,625 kmLAXLos Angeles2,467 kmMIAMiami2,418 km
Beyond its rangePTYTocumen4,198 km

The type first flew in 1981 (45 years ago) · About 387 units built · Production ended in 2001

Figures for the type, not for this particular aircraft: each variant and each configuration changes something. They are shown in both systems used in aviation.

The full story of the BAe 146 / Avro RJ Compare this aircraft

Airports

Airports of the airlines that have operated it

2006–2026Northwest Airlines airline network
Base
MSPMinneapolis
Main destinations
DTWDetroitHNLHonolulu, OahuATLAtlantaSEASeattle

Flight logbook

Under research

Aircraft chronology

1992
Built
Assembled by the manufacturer.
Mar 23, 1992
Delivered to British Aerospace
Delivered to British Aerospace as G-ISEE.
Apr 24, 1997
Transferred to Mesaba Airlines
Transferred to Mesaba Airlines.
Feb 1, 2006
Transferred to Northwest Airlines
Transferred to Northwest Airlines.

Operators

1992-03-23
British Aerospace
Registration G-ISEE
1997-04-24
Mesaba Airlines
Registration N501XJ · Lessor: Northwest Jet Airlink
2006-02-01
Northwest Airlines
Registration N501XJ

Register of memories

This space lets visitors record the memories they have with this aircraft and, in doing so, help fund this non-profit project: the largest aviation encyclopedia in the world.

Diamond
your photo
(Your name could be here)

Did you fly on this aircraft on your honeymoon? You can record it for posterity.

Get one
Gold
your photo
Your partner's name

Did you meet on a flight like this one? Leave the name written forever.

Get one
Silver
your photo
Your father's name

Did he ever fly on this aircraft? Honor him with a memory.

Get one
Memories in rotation—
Get one
See the full list of memories

Current position of the aircraft

Looking for a signal…
View on the adsb.lol live map

Real-time position via adsb.lol (ODbL license). There is a signal only while the aircraft is airborne and within coverage.

Cite

To cite this page in academic work, an article or Wikipedia, choose the style and copy the reference. The access date is today.

This page was last updated on October 15, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 15). Avro RJ85 · N501XJ · Northwest Airlines. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/BAE146-2208

MLA

“Avro RJ85 · N501XJ · Northwest Airlines.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 15 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/BAE146-2208. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “Avro RJ85 · N501XJ · Northwest Airlines.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 15, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/BAE146-2208.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) Avro RJ85 · N501XJ · Northwest Airlines. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/BAE146-2208 (Accessed: 17 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_aircraft_bae146_2208,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{Avro RJ85 · N501XJ · Northwest Airlines}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-15},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/BAE146-2208},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/BAE146-2208}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-17},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-17}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/BAE146-2208 |title=Avro RJ85 · N501XJ · Northwest Airlines |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-15 |access-date=2026-10-17 |language=en}}