Who was the Avro Anson originally designed for?

Short answer

For Imperial Airways: in 1933 the airline issued Avro a specification for a light airliner for four passengers, with a range of 420 miles (676 km) and a cruising speed of 130 mph (210 km/h). In April 1934 two aircraft were ordered.

Published: November 4, 2026 · Updated: November 4, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

Who was the Avro Anson originally designed for?

Avro Anson 652A Mk IL-Bit (CC BY SA), vía commons

A commission from Imperial Airways

In 1933 Imperial Airways issued a specification to Avro for a light airliner capable of carrying four passengers up to 420 miles (676 km) at a cruising speed of 130 mph (210 km/h). The first design, under the designation Avro 652, was produced in August 1933 by Roy Chadwick's team.

A change of specification

The project had to be revised when Imperial Airways modified the specification so the aircraft could cover the Karachi-Bombay-Colombo night mail service. The amended design was accepted and in April 1934 an order for two aircraft was issued. The first aircraft flew on 7 January 1935 and the type received its certification in March 1935.

From two aircraft to a mass trainer

Although only two examples were built, the design served as the basis for the successful Avro Anson. The Anson Mk II was the first type produced entirely in Canada. The first of 1,832 Mk II flew on 21 August 1941.