The obsolete Stirling bomber remained in production until November 1945 as the Mk.5 transport. In 1947 Trans-Air of Belgium bought ten Stirling Mk.5s and actually commenced cargo and even passenger flights, a load of 28 Belgian missionaries surviving the crash of the first one, OO-XAC, in China. At least six of these were sold to Egypt in 1948 and saw action against Israel as makeshift bombers. This airframe, OO-XAS, ex PK153, was flown from Blackbushe to Madrid via Brussels in October 1949. It is not clear if it went to Egypt too.