Britten-Norman is targeting annual production of eight Islander aircraft by 2029 after the first UK-assembled example from detail-level components completed its maiden flight from Bembridge on the Isle of Wight on 3 September. Serial 2317, the first aircraft built through the company’s rebuilt UK production line, rolled out five weeks before take-off and is destined for the Falkland Islands Government Air Service.
The milestone follows a broader manufacturing reset at Bembridge, where Britten-Norman has increased staffing and invested in tooling and facilities to support higher output. Employment at the site has risen to about 180 from roughly 100 in 2024, reflecting the company’s effort to restore fuller aircraft assembly in the UK after years of offshore or semi-knockdown production.
The Islander remains a long-established twin-engine STOL utility aircraft, and the latest flight serves as a proof point for Britten-Norman’s renewed production model rather than a one-off demonstrator. The aircraft’s first flight took place from the same runway used for the Islander’s maiden sortie in 1965, underscoring the link between the programme’s history and its repatriated assembly line.