First fully UK-built Britten-Norman Islander completes maiden flight

The first Britten-Norman BN2B-26 Islander built entirely in the United Kingdom has completed its maiden flight. It took off from Bembridge Airport on the Isle of Wight at 14:25 on 3 September. The aircraft has entered flight testing and will eventually be delivered to the Falkland Islands Government Air Service.

The flight follows Britten-Norman's decision to bring full Islander production back to Bembridge. Major assemblies were previously manufactured overseas. The company now controls the entire airframe construction process, including tooling, production sequencing and quality inspections.

A second Islander is already progressing through the production line, and components have been ordered for subsequent aircraft. Britten-Norman aims to produce eight aircraft annually.

About 350 Islanders remain operational in more than 70 countries. The global fleet has logged around 20 million flying hours, mainly on regional and remote-area services that need strong short-runway performance.

The company has kept experienced production knowledge at Bembridge. Peter Dowers, a veteran fitter who joined Britten-Norman in 1978, worked on his 500th Islander while helping train new production employees.