The Avro 618 Ten was the result of the company securing licence production rights, in 1928, for the highly successful Fokker F.VIIB/3m tri-motor airliner - rights which were also sold to Italy and Japan. Avro's agreement with Fokker gave the UK company freedom to sell its licence-built aircraft throughout the British Commonwealth with the exception of Canada, and the designation 618 Ten was adopted, signifying the aircraft's capacity for two crew and eight passengers.

British airworthiness requirements led to minor changes of the centre engine's thrustline, and the first Avro-built aircraft appeared at the 1929 Olympia Aero Show, subsequently being the first of five sold to Australian National Airways. They entered service on 1st January 1930, between Brisbane and Sydney, six months later adding the Melbourne-Sydney route. Two other Tens were bought by the Brisbane-based Queensland Air Navigation Co. and considerable reshuffling among the Australian airlines led to several changes of ownership for those aircraft remaining in service (two had been lost). The last surviving Ten in Australia evacuated many people from New Guinea in 1941. This was one of the former Australian National Airlines' Tens, which had been rebuilt in 1933 for long-range flights, and fitted with 330 hp (246 kW) Wright Whirlwind radial engines.
Five Tens were delivered to British customers, two each to Imperial Airways (April and June 1931), and Airwork (December 1931), and one to Midland & Scottish Air Ferries (May 1933). The Imperial aircraft were chartered to the Iraq Petroleum Transport Co. for considerable periods before returning to the UK in 1933, while the two Airwork aircraft were sold to the Egyptian army air force. One of the latter was passed subsequently to Indian National Airways, which had originally ordered four, but because of financial problems had accepted only one, for use by the Viceroy.

The last production Ten was delivered to the RAE's Wireless and Equipment Flight in July 1936, and was later fitted with a Monospar wing.

Power Plant: Three 240 h.p. Armstrong Siddeley Lynx IVB or IVC
Span: 71 ft 3 in
Length: 47 ft 6 in
Height: 12 ft 9 in
Weight (All-Up): 10,600 lb
Max Speed: 115 m.p.h.
Cruise: 100 m.p.h.
Range: 400 miles
Crew: 2
Passengers: 8
(It was so called the Avro Ten due to the amount of people it could carry.)