Airspeed AS.65 Consul, part two, various African Users

The Airspeed AS.65 was a British twin-engined light airliner that was designed by converting surplus AS.10 Oxford trainers into civilian use. Although it was, theoretically, for civilian use, many military, and paramilitary air forces throughout the world employed it. They type saw use in the African continent, specially in the following countries, territories and dependencies:

• Belgian Congo: As the Oxford turned to be a very positive aircraft for the Congolese environment, the Force Publique (the armed forces of the Belgian colony) decided to reinforce their Oxford fleet with some Consuls. As the Consul could be equipped easily with a freight door, it could fit stretchers into it, so they were mainly used as air ambulances. A total of six machines served with the Force Publique. They were acquired in 1948-1949 (some of them from the South African Natal Airlines) and by 1954-1955 or even 1956 they were all written off. Most of them were sold for scrap.
• France: According to our sources, four Consuls served with the French airline SA Aerotechnique, and one of them served with the Societe Algerienne de Transports Aeriens (Algerian Society of Air Transports). Charter airlines both of them. They served until the late 1950s when they were either sold or sold for scrap. As we couldn't find graphical evidence of the Consul serving with any of those airlines, the drawing should be considered as speculative.
• Colony and Protectorate of Kenya: The Kenyan-based airline East African Airways Corporation bought a single Consul from the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) in May 1954. It operated from Nairobi until 12th November 1955 when it suffered a wood and glue failure and was therefore retired to be scrapped in that same city two years later, in 1957.
• Union of South Africa: Many Consuls served with various South African airlines like Commercial Air Services, Natal Airlines or Silver Flights. Some of them were acquired from the Belgian Congo and some others straight from converted Oxfords. Either way, by mid 1950s or even later, they all were scrapped or sold.
• Tanganyka territory: The Tanganykan airline United Air Services operated three Consuls which were delivered between 1947-1948. They were based on Dar-es-Salaam and in 1952 due to the bad ageing of the machines, two of them were scrapped. The remaining one was sold to W.A. Rollason Ltd., in Croydon, London in 1950.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airspeed_Consul

2. http://britishaviation-ptp.com/airspeed_as65.html

3. http://www.belgian-wings.be/Webpages/Navigator/Photos/MilltaryPics/post_ww2/Airspeed%20Consul/aispeed_consul.htm

4. https://www.ab-ix.co.uk/pdfs/airspeed_oxford_&_consul.pdf