Britten-Norman approaches major milestone as first UK-built BN-2 Islander nears completion
September 17, 2025
After several years of facing financial and manufacturing challenges, Britten-Norman appears to be heading back to full strength.
On 16 September, Britten-Norman revealed it has now completed more than 50% of the assembly of the first fully UK-built Islander.
The breakthrough follows the successful raising of new capital investment by the organisation through two rounds of refinancing efforts in March and October 2024.
The funds invested in the company have allowed Britten-Norman to expand its workforce and modernise its facilities, following a significant process of reshoring and restructuring in 2023.
The investment also allowed full production of the Islander to be brought in-house at the company’s purpose-built facility located in Bembridge on the Isle of Wight off the south coast of England.
It is at the Bembridge site where assembly of the first UK-built Islander is being completed. Previously, major assemblies were manufactured overseas before final assembly was completed in Britain.
According to the firm, wing assembly of the first UK-built Islander is expected to be finished later in 2025, with final assembly scheduled for early 2026 ahead of the first delivery in spring 2026.
“This milestone marks the excellent progress by our team in relocating the Islander’s production to Bembridge,” said Grahame Stone, Commercial Director of Britten-Norman. “By bringing the full build to the UK, we are strengthening our capability and ensuring we can deliver new aircraft efficiently for operators worldwide.”
Investing in expansion
Since announcing its reshoring plans, Britten-Norman has invested in innovative technologies, including new state-of-the-art CNC (computer numerical control) equipment to boost production of the Islander.
At the same time, the company has grown its workforce by more than 40% in the past 12 months.
“Alongside new-build progress, the company is strengthening support for operators to improve parts availability and service, “ the company says.
With orders for new Islanders being placed regularly, Britten-Norman’s new production line in Bembridge is meeting the challenges that those orders present.
The company says that while it is well advanced in finishing its first aircraft, further development is underway as the company ramps up activity over the coming years to deliver the aircraft currently on its order books.
BN doesn’t say exactly how many new Islanders are on order, but it does state that “demand for the Islander remains strong, with confirmed orders and multiple Letters of Intent already secured”.
A versatile multi-function aircraft
The Britten-Norman Islander has been in production since 1965 and is a light utility passenger and cargo aircraft powered by two engine-mounted piston engines.
With 1,300 aircraft built to date, the Islander is renowned worldwide for being a versatile STOL (short take-off and landing) performance aircraft.
First flown on 13 June 1965, the Islander was the result of a vision by company founders John Britten and Desmond Norman to create a reliable, rugged aircraft that could fly to places out of bounds for most other aircraft.
Now with customers in more than 100 countries over six continents, the Islander has so far accumulated around 20 million flight hours since that first flight.
The type has carved a niche for itself in serving remote airfields (often with unpaved runways) and the ability to serve remote communities.
Islanders currently in service perform a myriad of duties from supporting essential services worldwide, from passenger transport and cargo to surveillance, maritime patrol, medevac, and other special missions.
“For 60 years, the Britten-Norman Islander has proven its strength and versatility in every corner of the globe – from the Ecuadorian Amazon to remote Scottish islands, and from daily passenger routes to disaster relief and frontline operations,” states the company.
Some of the Islander’s latest customers
In August 2023, Australian Air Charter Operator Torres Strait Air signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Britten-Norman to order ten new Islander aircraft as part of a five-year fleet renewal programme valued at $25m (£18.3m).
Torres Strait Air’s current fleet of seven existing Britten-Norman Islanders operates vital sub-regional air transport services across Torres Strait and Cape York Peninsula.
At the time of the LOI, Britten Norman announced that the aircraft would be amongst the first to be produced from the UK manufacturer’s new production line at Bembridge Airport.
Then, in November 2024, the Falkland Islands Government signed a Letter of Intent with Britten-Norman with a view to ordering four new BN2B-26 Islander aircraft at a total value of $9.75 million.
The new aircraft will form part of a plan to modernise the fleet operated by the Falkland Islands Government Aviation Service (FIGAS).
The order was in addition to two aircraft that FIGAS had already ordered from Britten-Norman, the first of which is already in service.
With a current fleet of five Islanders, FIGAS aircraft serve in a variety of roles. In addition to commuting flights, regular missions include air ambulance, postal carrier, freight, veterinary transport, environmental monitoring, and increasingly popular scenic flights.
More recently, in January of this year, Evia Aero, a German company dedicated to transforming European travel through sustainable and carbon-neutral aviation, signed a letter of intent with Britten-Norman to purchase 15 new Britten-Norman Islander aircraft.
The 15 Islander aircraft acquired from Britten-Norman will commence deliveries at the beginning of 2027. The long-term plan for these aircraft is to subsequently be converted to zero-emissions platforms powered by hydrogen fuel-cell propulsion systems.
The future looks bright for the Islander
With its versatile, rugged design and with few other competitors available in the marketplace for a STOL twin-engine aircraft, the Islander’s future is looking bright.
Bolstered by a growing order book and continuing worldwide interest, the type seems to be once again catching the eye of niche operators worldwide, and the company is responding to this challenge with an accelerating production schedule.
The latest version of the Islander aircraft being built at Bembridge will feature full IFR glass cockpit technology, all window seating, enlarged baggage access as standard, as well as a higher maximum take-off weight and enhanced performance than earlier variants.
