Britten-Norman has flown the first Islander manufactured in the UK from individual structural components since production of the aircraft was moved overseas in 1968.
The BN2B-26, serial number 2317, took off from Bembridge Airport on the Isle of Wight at 2:25 p.m. on September 3. The aircraft is destined for the Falkland Islands Government Air Service (FIGAS), which uses Islanders to connect communities across the archipelago.
Follow Air Data News: WhatsApp | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
The flight follows Britten-Norman's decision to bring complete Islander manufacturing back to Bembridge. Although final assembly and other work continued in Britain for decades, much of the aircraft's structure had been produced overseas.
Production of Islander airframes was transferred to Romania in 1968, initially to IRMA in Bucharest, which later became Romaero. Completed structures were subsequently transported to Bembridge for finishing, customization and certification.
The manufacturing arrangement changed in 2009, when larger structural sections produced in Romania began arriving in Britain for assembly. Britten-Norman announced in 2023 that it would bring this work back to the Isle of Wight and establish production from individual components at Bembridge.
Return to Bembridge
Serial number 2317 is the first aircraft to complete the entire new manufacturing process. Britten-Norman said another Islander is already in production as it works toward a rate of eight aircraft per year.
The location also connects the new production system with the beginning of the Islander's history. The prototype made its first flight from Bembridge in June 1965, near the site where Britten-Norman had been established.
Recent news
September 06, 2026
September 05, 2026
The simple twin-engine design found a market in operations where short runways, limited airport infrastructure and relatively small passenger volumes make larger aircraft impractical.
More than 1,250 Islanders have been produced, and Britten-Norman says around 350 remain in service in more than 70 countries. Serial number 2317 will become the 1,254th aircraft delivered.
The type is available for passenger, cargo and special-mission operations. Its high-wing configuration, fixed landing gear and ability to operate from short and unprepared airstrips have allowed the Islander to remain in production more than 60 years after its first flight.
The latest aircraft will join a long-established FIGAS Islander operation in the Falkland Islands. The government service uses the type for passenger, mail and freight flights between Stanley and settlements and islands across the territory.
