- The first fully Isle of Wight-assembled Islander completed its maiden flight.
- Serial 2317 took off from Bembridge Airport on 3 September.
- Aer Arann has operated Islanders for more than 56 years.
- Britten-Norman grew from 100 to around 180 employees.
- The aircraft is destined for FIGAS in the Falkland Islands.
The first Britten-Norman Islander to be fully assembled at the Britten-Norman facility in Bembridge on England’s Isle of Wight from individual components has successfully completed its maiden flight. The milestone has marked a major step in the manufacturer’s efforts to restore full aircraft production at its historic Bembridge facility. The aircraft, serial number 2317, took off from Bembridge Airport on 3 September as part of its flight test programme and is destined for service with the Falkland Islands Government Air Service (FIGAS).
Britten-Norman is in the races of repatriating full aircraft manufacturing to its historic home at Bembridge Airport on the Isle of Wight, executing a major reshoring strategy to scale production up to a phase-one target of eight aircraft per year.This effort effectively ends a nearly 60-year arrangement where major assemblies were built in Romania before being shipped to the UK for finishing touch.
The achievement carries a strong Irish connection, with Galway-based Aer Arann, one of the world’s longest-serving Islander operators, welcoming the return of full production of the iconic aircraft. The maiden flight followed months of development milestones, including completion of the aircraft’s assembly, ground testing and factory roll-out. While Islanders continued to be completed and certified at Bembridge for decades, aircraft 2317 is significant because its airframe was assembled on the Isle of Wight from detail component level rather than arriving as a major assembly from overseas.
The flight took place from the same airfield where the original Islander prototype made its first flight in June 1965, just a short distance from where the company was founded. The aircraft was flown by Britten-Norman’s flight test crew while engineers and production staff watched from the apron after completing the build only weeks earlier.
Britten-Norman says the successful flight demonstrates that its new production system at Bembridge is now fully operational. The company invested heavily in tooling, facilities and workforce expansion, growing from approximately 100 employees in 2024 to around 180 today. A second aircraft progressed through the production line, with components for further aircraft also in the pipeline.
Peter McKenna, owner of Aer Arann, previously welcomed the return of new Islander production, saying: “Having been an Islander operator for more than 56 years, we are thrilled to see new Islanders coming off the line at Bembridge. Nothing rivals the rugged reliability of the Islander, and our fleet is testament to that. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Britten-Norman for many more years to come.”
