A famous British aircraft is being built on home soil once again, with the first fully UK-manufactured Britten-Norman Islander in almost six decades rolling out of the company’s factory at Bembridge on the Isle of Wight.
The new aircraft, number 2317, emerged from Britten-Norman’s production facility after its engines, propellers, cowlings, electrical systems, brakes and flight controls were installed.
Electrical power has now been applied to the aircraft for the first time and it has been moved onto the apron at Bembridge ahead of ground testing.
It marks an important moment for British aviation manufacturing and the culmination of Britten-Norman’s programme to bring full production of the Islander back to the UK.
For decades, major sections of the aircraft were manufactured overseas before being brought to Britain for final assembly. Britten-Norman began the process of returning full production to its historic Isle of Wight home in 2023, investing in new manufacturing equipment and rebuilding its production capability at Bembridge.
The company has said its workforce has grown by more than 40 per cent since the reshoring programme began.
And this is not simply a one-off aircraft.
A second Islander is already progressing through the Bembridge production line, while components for further aircraft are also being manufactured as Britten-Norman works towards continuous production in Britain.
The first aircraft has an appropriately British destination.
It is being built for the Falkland Islands Government Air Service, or FIGAS, where Islanders have long played an important role connecting communities across the islands.
The twin-engined Islander is one of Britain’s great aviation success stories.
Developed by British engineers John Britten and Desmond Norman on the Isle of Wight during the 1960s, the prototype made its first flight from Bembridge in June 1965.
The aircraft was designed as a rugged, relatively simple utility aircraft capable of carrying passengers and cargo into locations where larger aircraft could not operate.
Its short take-off and landing capabilities have helped make it particularly useful in remote communities and difficult terrain around the world.
More than 1,200 aircraft from the Islander family, including Islanders, Defenders and Trislanders, have been produced, with the aircraft serving civilian, military and government operators across the globe.
Almost 60 years after the Islander was born on the Isle of Wight, its return to full British manufacture therefore represents something of a homecoming.
When the reshoring programme was announced, Britten-Norman described the move as a commitment to British manufacturing and the country’s aerospace industry.
The company has invested in modern CNC manufacturing equipment at Bembridge, while increasing its workforce and rebuilding skills needed to manufacture complete aircraft in Britain.
In June, when the first aircraft reached 75 per cent completion, Britten-Norman chief operating officer Richard Milne said the progress demonstrated the capability the company had rebuilt at Bembridge.
He said each milestone brought the company closer to delivering “brand-new, British-built Islanders” to customers.
Now, with the first aircraft sitting on the apron and preparing for ground testing, that ambition is becoming a reality.
After decades in which much of its manufacture took place overseas, one of Britain’s most enduring aircraft is once again being made where its story began: Bembridge, Isle of Wight.
