Aircraft manufacturer Britten-Norman has announced a shift of aircraft production from Eastern Europe back to its historic home in Bembridge, Isle of Wight.

The company disclosed that “new manufacturing jigs are in place at Britten-Norman’s Bembridge facility in preparation for production output increase.”

This move signals a significant change for Britten-Norman, which has been manufacturing its aircraft in Eastern Europe since the late 1960s.

Britten-Norman say here that they will be investing in new jigs and tooling to establish two additional production lines, modernising the production process and incorporating sustainable energy initiatives for decarbonising the site.

The shift comes ahead of the expected increase in demand for the Islander aircraft, particularly due to the planned launch of a zero-emissions model in 2026. The company noted an “intensified interest in the Islander following the planned launch of an OEM, zero-emissions Islander aircraft in 2026 as well as wider interest that has resulted from the introduction of finance and leasing options for the resurgent sub-regional aircraft market.”

In addition, Britten-Norman say they will make investments in its supply chain and spare parts inventory to support existing operators.

Local employment prospects are set to improve as the company plans a recruitment drive in the coming months, seeking aircraft fitters, technicians, production engineering and supply chain roles. There will also be new traineeship and apprenticeship opportunities on the Isle of Wight and in South Hampshire.

William Hynett OBE, Chief Executive of Britten-Norman, expressed his pride in the project, stating, “The project is a great success story for the British aircraft manufacturing industry. I am very proud to be involved in this next chapter at Britten-Norman.”

Britten-Norman will continue to operate its 34,000 sq ft site at Solent Airport Daedalus for the final assembly line of the Islander, alongside other services such as OEM aircraft refurbishment, EASA Part 145 MRO services, international field servicing, and avionics and mission systems integration.

You can read more by clicking here.

George Allison
George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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88 COMMENTS

  1. I would love to see them get the rights to the old Shorts models (Skyvan, SD-330/360). Updated versions would replace the old versions still in use around the world. Look at the way the Canadians have put the TwinOtter back into production.

  2. I just read about this the otherday,(June 23 flight international) its all to do with a merger with Cranfield Aerospace solutions, and Hydrogen fuel cell powered flight with the first flight of the demonstrator next year. The intial aim is to retrofit the system to existing BN2 Islanders , but the article states it will be looking at a trade in scheme where the recipient received a new build aircraft allowing the company to refurbish the trade in and return it to the market. The eventual aim is to build a 100 seat aircraft. But as this is the Uk, the airfield at Bembridge IOW is no longer licenced part finished aircraft will be trucked across the water to Lee on Solent to be completed and flown away.
    The article states that they are in talks with two local government bodies who are looking at bringing the company to them
    Oh and just for the info, this is all down to the government funded Project Fresson  

  4. Is Britten-Norman British owned? The original Islander was an iconic aircraft and nice to see manufacturing return “Home”. Btw-is the UK as with the USA caught in the eternal midland between Imperial and Metric systems. A 34 000 square foot site?? Roods and Perches!!😂 Here in South Africa the country decimalized its currency in the early 1960’s and the government banned adverts in Pounds shortly thereafter. We switched to Metric measures in the 1970’s. Apart from older guys like me who often order 3 metres of 3×2(Inches😉) of timber we are 100% decimalized. I still have some affection for Ye Olde Stones and Gallons but really…!
    Cheers from Chilly Durban

    • Yeah, we use imperial for some things and metric for others. For example we buy fuel in litres, but measure consumption in MPG. We buy beer buy the pint but cans of drinks come in millilitres. You’d measure long distance in miles, medium distances in metres, and short distances in inches or cm, up to you. Short distances on roads are measured in yards but I don’t think anyone even knows what a yard is anymore. etc

        • 😂or a metre is a slightly lengthened yard! My old man used to pace it out when measuring a building-still a pretty accurate system😉

          • A metre is a thousandth of a kilometre, 10,000 kilometres was the distance from the Equator to the North Pole via Paris, I understand it’s since been redefined

        • Or… a metre is slightly longer than a yard, 39.37 inches, instead of 36.
          I recall schooling my dear old Mum in this, back in the early days of the Metrication Board.
          Today, Imperial and Metric are used interchangeably by most people, with few if any signs of stress.

      • There are 22 of them on a cricket pitch between stumps, which is a “chain”, there are 10 chains in a furlong (220 yds), and 8 furlongs in a mile. Racing still measured in Furlongs. A Furlong, was the distance that a horse could pull a 9 inch bladed plough before it needed to rest. An acre is the amount a horse could plough in a day.

      • Wow that’s a bold statement, what about the 100s of thousands of golfers in the UK. All golf courses have hole distances in yards, known as yardage

    • Immediately afterwards I see S Africa went down the tubes and is friends to some of the nastiest on the planet. Imperial inoculates against that kind of thing!

    • Fascinating question. As a designer I use nothing but metric for my work, had some artworks come over from the US years back in metric inches and despite triple checking I still got transforming it wrong. Can’t imagine using imperial for producing artwork. However above a metre ( and I still convert it generally to yds in my mind beyond about one) just can’t think in metric units. Feet yards and miles dominate kilometres still don’t really give me a clear idea of how long it is. It’s weird but working one in digital form and indeed in relatively short real world measurements (as centimetres are just so much easier and more precise at small amounts than inches) and then moving to imperial beyond around a metre comes naturally to me, just shows what a work of art the brain is. Still mystifies me why it hasn’t over time took to longer metric measurements mind as it has with short nes.

    • Yes it is. Recently merged with the aircraft consultancy Cranfield aerospace which spun off from the uni there.

    • Nautical miles and Knots are still the global standard for Maritime plus Feet is the Global standard for Altitude.

      Funny thing is there is a genuine mathematical argument that base 10 is all wrong and we should move to base 12. The only reason we count to 10 is 10 fingers.

      http://www.dozenalsociety.org.uk/

      • The debate has become more interesting and less one sided. On the face of it, calculating in tens is much easier and some aspects of the Imperial (surprised Wokes have not cancelled the word) are laborious-16 ounces one pound, 14 pounds one stone….

      • Christ don’t say that SD67, I don’t want to have to start taking a sock off, my mathematics is bad enough!

    • There is still a lot of decimal Imperial measurements in aviation to this day. Many American components are used throughout the world and in many cases they are to fractional Imperial.
      It may interest you to know that Commerial Passenger Aircraft cabin layouts have seat pitching at 1 inch pitch, but many other aircraft such as Airbus ATR, Embraer have seat pitching at 25.4 millimetre pitch. 25.4 mm converted to Imperial is: 1 inch!

  6. We got rid of all of our Islander and Defender aircraft as part of the ongoing little announced defence cuts.
    Still, this seems welcome.

    • Army liked them as cheap to run and did an important role but then passed to the RAF who promptly chucked them out. They are an excellent platform for keeping an eye on the neighbours at little to no cost. All flash and no results anymore from those arm chair flyers. 🙁 Thinking is no longer an approved pass time in the services

      • I love to see them in Belfast flying against the wind in low throttle they could sit in the one place for ages the army were working them as spotter planes. The police seem to use them now. You can tell with that quiet engine noise humming around very high in the sky. The Dehavlin Beaver was always much more louder and low flying in Northern Ireland.

        • The role that the Islanders fulfilled at RAF Northolt has been handed to a private company who fly 3 Piper Navajo PA31s, and the Metropolitan Police also operate others.

          I’m unsure what replaced the Defenders used by 5 AAC for ops over Northern Ireland, but assume their role elsewhere was taken by existing Shadow aircraft.

    • Hello Daniele! Let us hope we see the resurgence of some “all British aircraft from this little company. You have had some good weather I hear😉

      • Morning geoff! It STILL has not rained here. Though elsewhere there have been flash floods due to the storms.

      • Morning Geoff

        A couple of Islanders still operate a schedule to one of the islands off Auckland. Used to be popular in Aussie ferrying folk to the islands on the Great Barrier Reef. Pretty much taken over by the the Cessna Caravan nowdays.

        • Morning Klonkie. Let us hope the new generation revives the name and improved performance for the 21st Century.
          Sunday was Comrades Day-a wonderful multi racial, multi national event that for me represents how this country should and COULD be. Did Park Run the day before with Bruce Fordyce
          Enjoy the sunshine Daniele😎

          • Morning Geoff. I clean forgot Comrades was last week. Nice to here BF is still very much around. All the best Bud.

  7. I’m going to give the government its due here, they have provided 12 million just at the right time, to get inward investment on new technology…it’s important to note that it was likely civilian building home of the islander was up in the air anyway…Production in Eastern Europe had become more expensive after they all joined the EU and BN have been considering a return to Civilian building in the UK anyway…what’s funny is what had delayed the decision was Brexit, which was really ironic because BN were the only manufacturer in the sector that actively campaigned for Brexit..but their beef was with the Government not giving clarity on what Brexit would look like…in about 2019-20 they threatened to move out of the Uk. But that’s all history and now we have a set of investors and companies working together on the next generation of low cost low carbon short range civilian airliners….that’s a big future market…and my just create a hub for that type of tec….but a last bit of realism here..this company at present build one aircraft a year….but they have survived when all most all the other independent British aircraft manufacturers did not..so they are in an elite club of survivors.

    • Vertical Aerospace recently announced that their electric battery factory will be UK based. Hopefully production line as well given they have said there is interest for near 1,500 orders.
      Britten Norman has plans for a 50-100 seat hydrogen powered airliner by 2035 and GKN has plans for a 100 seat airliner in the next two decades.
      Combine that with Aeralis, Tempest and continued Airbus work and the future of the UK aerospace industry is looking very bright.

      • Unless you measure it against post war UK production. BBC documentary When Britain Ruled The Skies is worth a watch and puts things in context.

        • Of course, but if all this does happen in the 2030s, it will be a capability that hasn’t existed for the past 60 years.

        • I don’t buy it. What post war production? Trident sold 117 units, half of which were to countries not allowed to buy American. BAC 1-11 a few more. Compared to building the wings and half the engines for Airbus…

          • The order in 1957 by Trans Canada Airlines for 23 Vanguards was the UKs biggest post-war export order. It tells you how relatively expensive aircraft were.

          • More in the military domain. V bombers, Canberra vixen etc

            1946: First flight of Westland Wyvern
            1947: First flight of De Havilland Venom
            1948: First flight of Supermarine Swift
            1949: First flight of Avro Shackleton
            1949: First flight of Vickers Varsity
            1949: First Flight of Avro 707
            1949: First Flight of De Havilland Comet
            1950: First flight of Hawker Hunter
            1950: First flight of Hawker P.1072
            1950: First flight of Boulton Paul P.111
            1950: First flight of Percival Provost
            1951: First flight of Gloster Javelin
            1951: First flight of De Havilland Sea Vixen
            1951: First flight of Vickers Valiant
            1951: First flight of Handley Page HP.88
            1952: First flight of Short SB5
            1952: First flight of Avro Vulcan
            1952: First flight of Handley Page Victor
            1954: First flight of Fairey Delta 2
            1954: First flight of English Electric Lightning
            1954: First flight of BAC Jet Provost
            1955: First flight of Folland Gnat
            1957: First flight of Saunders-Roe SR.53
            1958: First flight of Blackburn Buccaneer
            1960: First flight of Hawker Siddeley P.1127
            1962: First flight of Bristol 188
            1962: First flight of Hawker Siddeley Trident
            1964: First flight of Hawker Siddeley Kestrel
            1964: First flight of BAC TSR-2
            1965: First flight of Britten-Norman Islander
            1967: First flight of Hawker Siddeley Harrier
            1967: First flight of BAC Strikemaster
            1967: First flight of Hawker Siddeley Nimrod
            1967: First flight of Handley Page Jetstream
            1968: First flight of SEPECAT Jaguar
            1969: First flight of Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde
            1969: First flight of Scottish Aviation Bulldog
            1970: First flight of Britten-Norman Defender
            1971: First flight of Britten-Norman Trislander
            1971: First flight of Westland Lynx

          • Oh yes I agree we’re great starters. The curse of British Industry – “Promising Development Project”. Meanwhile the French have never really innovated in anything but still they’ve sold the pants off us.

      • Indeed, it’s very good to see these investments, it’s going to be a whole new market with new opportunities.

  9. In real terms that is still a gigantic cut given their devastated economy and sky-high inflation

  10. A carbon fiber rip off of the DH Hornet would make a great naval drone with shrouded propellors, turbines and tricycle under carriage. So cool imagine.

  11. Here in Germany they are used to fly between Frisian Islands like Heligoland, Wangerooge, Juist and the country itself. While proven for decades, the current version using Avgas is outdated, so modern technology could be a winner. Good old sturdy planes.

  12. AR wrote:

    “”I see from Asia defense reporting that Pakistan has approved a sixteen percent increase in the defense budget. Can we match it?””

    Its the Uk, we will go one better and actually hand over the funds for them to do so. Then when you argue with a purple haired wonk who ids as:
    They
    Them
    Whatever
    They will go blue in the face stating that we must furnish the likes of Pakistan with aid to ensure they have
    1) Running water
    2) Sewers
    3) Schools

    Whislt leaving out that actually Pakistan is a nuclear state with more MBTs, Aircraft, soldiers, ballistic and cruise missiles

    • Honestly Farouk, shame on you…

      Wonks can have all sorts of colours in their hair, not just purple, try and be slightly more enlightened like me would you …🤣

  13. Great stuff. I never knew it had moved the manufacturing. Nice to see this is giving a reset to commercial passenger aircraft manufacturing in the UK.

  14. They are moving back because it is financially in their interests to do so, nothing more, nothing less. No sentiment involved and they will leg it somewhere else for the same reason if it is in their financial interests to do so.

    As for the funding, would the government have been able to fund their project under EU competition rules.

    • Saudi Arabia will likely by a tranche 4 batch of up to 48 and there is still the possibility of Turkey buying a batch of 48 Typhoons as well.

      • Anybody high up in government or defence circles concerned that our Saudi friends might let there Chinese counterparts take a squizz at T4 or any current Typhoons plus CAMM. Turkey too and their friendship with Russia?

        • I suppose they are weighing up the risks.
          Typhoon isn’t a new aircraft so doesn’t matter so much if secrets are leaked by Saudi or Turkey as they are most likely already known by our adversaries.
          Whether it would be in either of those countries interests to do so is a different matter.
          Saudi Arabia want Tempest and that would be sensitive technology that we wouldn’t want getting leaked. Even if they decide to buy Chinese, Tranche 3 is already in Saudi so damage of Tranche 4 being leaked would be minimal (especially considering we aren’t buying T4).

          Turkey is receiving tech transfer for their homegrown fighter, from BAE.

          Other countries in the consortium can of course block orders. Unlikely to happen with Saudi but apparently Germany might block a Turkish order.

    • That’s really pathetic isn’t it. Can build carriers, subs, planes, missiles and not a large gun barrel!?

  19. BN “manufacturing its aircraft in eastern Europe since the 1960’s”. In Communist, Warsaw Pact, Eastern Europe? Is that a typo?

  24. Hi Andy. On paper it sounds impressive but might be starting from a low base. My old school story from a teacher remarking on the boasts of a cigarette company claiming 100% increase in sales-” Yesterday they sold one pack of twenty. Today they sold two..!

  25. Have any of you piloted a Shorts 360? If you had you would ban it for good.
    Nautical miles are the only logical and globe related measurement of distance. Metric units should be banned now we are a free and independent nation!

  26. Good to hear the news. I worked on an Islander and Tri islander at Manchester Airport for a short time when it was Fairey Britten-Norman. Some years later, when working on the Trago SAH1 Aircraft at Cardinham Airfield, Bodmin, I was introduced to Desmond Norman when he visited Syd Holloway, the SAH1 Designer. Sadly, the SAH1 project failed and I spent just under 24 years working for Jersey European that morphed into Flybe. All a far cry to my first job with A.V.Roe, Woodford on Vulcans, 748’s and Nimrods.

  28. I wouldn’t have thought a western aircraft manufacturer was building planes in the Soviet block in the 60’s

  29. While some Imperial measures create a strong impression they lose you once you get beyond the framework they began in. Altitude given as 30000 feet is evocative, but if you have not done it before, how many miles is that? Divide by 3 and then 1760? Better put it in Google….
    And Imperial and American measures coincide only in some cases, and may differ even where there is a common name no it is not okay for themed British pubs to sell pints in American pint sizes, no matter where they are!

  30. We had to convert from imperial to metric when Concorde started at BAC Weybridge
    Still use both especially when ordering timber.

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