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It was formed in 1940 by Winston Churchill in response to the production problems that winning the Battle of Britain posed. Its first head was Lord Beaverbrook and under his control the Ministry presided over an enormous increase in British aircraft production. Beaverbrook pushed for aircraft production to have priority over virtually all other types of munitions production for raw materials. This was needed in the summer and autumn of 1940, but it distorted the supply system of the war economy. It eventually came to be replaced by a quota system, with each supply ministry being allocated a certain amount of raw materials imports to be distributed amongst various projects within the ministries' purviews. Beaverbrook still continued to push hard for increases in aircraft production until he left the Ministry to become Minister of Supply.

One controversial feature of Beaverbrook's tenure was the fact that the aircraft programs set bore little comparison to actually expected aircraft production. Beaverbrook deliberately inserted an extra margin of 15% over and above the very best that British industry could be expected to produce. The theory of inserting the extra margin was to provide an out of reach target to British industry so that it would push as hard as possible to increase production. It was not until the 'realistic' programme of 1943 that aircraft production programmes were actually brought back into line with actual levels of production that could be expected from British factories.

The Ministry of Aircraft Production did not long survive the end of the war. A minister with responsibility for both MAP and the Ministry of Supply was appointed in August 1945 and MAP was fully merged into the Ministry of Supply on 1 April 1946.

Ministers of Aircraft Producation 1940-1945

• Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook ( May 14 1940- May 1 1941
• John Moore-Brabazon ( May 1 1941- February 22February 22 is the 53rd day of every year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 312 days remaining, 313 in leap years. Events 1290s BC The coronation of Ramses II, on whose face the sun's rays fall each year in Abu Simbel temple. 1281 Martin IV becomes Pop 1942Events January January 1 World War II: The word " United Nations" is first officially used to describe the Allied pact. January 2 World War II: Manila is captured by Japanese forces. January 5 Amy Johnson disappears in flight over River Thames estuary ass)
• John LlewellinColonel John Jestyn Llewellin, 1st Baron Llewellin C. February 6, 1893 January 24, 1957) was a British army officer and minister in Winston Churchill's war government. MP for Uxbridge in Middlesex, he later sat in the House of Lords as 1st Baron Llewellin ( February 22February 22 is the 53rd day of every year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 312 days remaining, 313 in leap years. Events 1290s BC The coronation of Ramses II, on whose face the sun's rays fall each year in Abu Simbel temple. 1281 Martin IV becomes Pop 1942- November 22 1942)
• Sir Stafford Cripps ( November 22 1942- May 25 1945)
• Ernest Brown ( May 25 1945- July 26 1945)