On 11 March 1964, the first Series 200 aircraft conducted its first flight; it was soon followed by six more Series 220s, which were outfitted with more powerful engines. While work had commenced upon another Series 220, this airframe was never completed and was ultimately scrapped. According to aviation periodical Flight International, the Argosy had been negatively impacted by the emergence of the long-haul passenger jet, as many surplus propeller-driven aircraft had been converted to freighters during this era, thus driving down both demand and prices for new-build cargo aircraft.