Britten-Norman has confirmed previously disclosed plans to relocate manufacturing of its BN2 Islander from Romania to the UK, alongside increasing output of the iconic twin-engined type.

Until now, aircraft had been built by partner Romaero in Bucharest, and then transported by road to the UK for completion.

Project Fresson motor-c-CAeS

Source: Cranfield Aerospace Solutions

Britten-Norman and partner CAeS are develping hydrogen fuel cell-powered Islander

Under Britten-Norman’s revised plans, manufacturing will shift to the airframer’s historic home at Bembridge on the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England.

Britten-Norman will invest in new jigs and tooling to create two additional production lines at Bembridge. However, BN2s will still need to be shipped to its site at Solent Airport Daedalus in Lee-on-the-Solent on the UK mainland for completion and delivery.

Britten-Norman jigs Bembridge

Source: Britten-Norman

Bembridge facility on the Isle of Wight has been refurbished for production start

It says the move will help support predicted demand for a zero-emission Islander that is being developed by Cranfield Aerospace Solutions, a company with which it is scheduled to merge later this year. Service entry for the hydrogen fuel cell-powered Islander is set for 2026.

Dominic Perry is deputy editor of Flight International but also contributes extensively to flightglobal.com. Although specialising in the coverage of the helicopter industry, he has written on most topics in aerospace – be they commercial, defence or business aviation. In addition, there has been an increasing focus on the decarbonisation of the industry and zero-emission flight initiatives.View full Profile

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