Early on, it had been envisioned that the Freighter would play a logistical role in the South-East Asian theatre of the war, being operated by British Far East Command. However, as it was becoming clear that the conflict would be over before the aircraft could enter service, an increasing emphasis was placed on suiting the aircraft to meet the demands of civilian operators. A cost analysis demonstrated that for civil use, it would be more economic to increase the all-up weight of the design from 30,000 to 35,000 lbs and to adopt the more powerful Bristol Hercules engine to power the Freighter. It was also considered that there would be a market for a passenger aircraft suitable for use from basic airstrips, and so a version without the nose doors and capable of carrying up to 36 passengers, to be known as the "Wayfarer", was proposed.