Britten-Norman’s first Islander assembled in the UK from detail-component level completed its maiden flight from Bembridge Airport on the Isle of Wight on 3 September. The aircraft is the first to emerge from the company’s reshored production line after manufacturing returned to Bembridge in 2023, and it is bound for the Falkland Islands Government Air Service.
The flight followed a roll-out at the Isle of Wight site on 30 July and a period of ground testing. Britten-Norman had moved major Islander production overseas for decades before bringing full civil manufacture back to its historic home, making the programme both an industrial reset and a test of its renewed UK build capability.
The aircraft will now enter the next phase of flight testing before delivery. Workforce expansion at Bembridge has accompanied the production return, reflecting the site’s growing role in the company’s manufacturing plans.