Introduced during the immediate post-war period, it was a straightforward conversion of surplus Airspeed Oxford military trainers that had been extensively used during the Second World War.

Upon the war's end, the company acquired numerous Oxfords from the British government and begun converting the type for the needs of civilian customers.

During the first half of the 1930s, the British aircraft manufacturer Airspeed Limited produced the Envoy, an eight-seat civil transport that also promptly attracted the attention of military operators.

[1][3] As early as 1940, Airspeed's management were considering the future postwar era and the fate of the large numbers of Oxfords that the company was mass-producing at that time; recognising that military demands would be curtailed, it was thus sensible for surplus aircraft to be converted for use by civilian operators instead.

Having planned in advance of the conflict's end, following Victory in Europe Day, Airspeed quickly negotiated to buy back Oxfords from the British government, arranging the purchase of not only complete aircraft but also partially-assembled examples that were in progress at various factories.

[5] Due to it being a relatively straightforward conversion of an existing aircraft with only minor modifications being made, securing civil airworthiness certification was both quick and easy.

[6] In addition to targeting airlines, Airspeed believed there was a viable market for the type amongst private owner-pilots, as there had been for such aircraft during the interwar period.

Furthermore, there was an intention focus on marketing the aircraft towards business purposes, a direction which aviation author H. A. Taylor observed to be a particularly innovative approach for the era.

[7] Structural alterations involved in the conversion included cut-outs to add an extra pair of windows on either side of the fuselage, the installation of an elongated nose that functioned as a forward compartment for storing baggage, and the addition of a partition wall between the cockpit and the cabin areas.

Many of the 'civil' conversions were bought by military users; and the Consul served as a VIP transport with the air forces of Britain, Canada and New Zealand, all of whom already operated Oxfords.