Avro685

The Avro York was a British transport aircraft developed by Avro during the Second World War. The design was derived from the famed Avro Lancaster heavy bomber that was being produced at the time for the Royal Air Force (RAF); several sections of the York and Lancaster were identical. Due to priority being placed on the Lancaster instead, production of the York proceeded at a slow pace until 1944, after which a higher priority was placed upon transport aircraft. The York saw service in both military and civilian roles with various operators between 1943 and 1964. In civilian service, the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was the most prolific user of the type. In military service, large numbers of Yorks were used during the high-profile air-supply missions during the Berlin Blockade 1948–49.