Planemaker Britten-Norman has celebrated the maiden test flight of the first Islander aircraft built in the UK since full production returned to British shores in 2023.
On September 3, 2026, Britten-Norman confirmed that the first Islander to come off the new production line on the Isle of Wight had taken to the skies.
The company said the airframe was built from detail components on the Isle of Wight, with the aircraft rolling out over a month later, on August 27.
The Islander currently being tested is destined to join the Falkland Islands Government Air Service (FIGS) fleet.
In June 2026, Britten-Norman announced that a second airframe was nearly 25% complete and that components for follow-on aircraft were in manufacture.
