ABOVE: “Great people, great product and, now we have provided more capital, great prospect,” said Alison Frost, director of new investor Beechlands Enterprises.
Bembridge-based Britten-Norman has completed its second funding round of the year, with the new investment set to help the struggling manufacturer return to profitability and scale the production of new-build Islanders to up to eight a year.
An unspecified yet ‘significant’ amount of capital from Northern Island-based Beechlands Enterprises will ‘accelerate production of the iconic Islander aircraft and transform aftermarket business,’ explained Britten-Norman. The new investment follows the completion of March 2024’s initial funding round, with 4D Capital Partners also pledging cash to help Britten-Norman scale its production.
Britten-Norman CEO William Hynett said that this “welcome investment from Beechlands will enable Britten-Norman to complete its aircraft manufacturing repatriation programme,” a process initiated in 2023 with the relocation of the company’s Romanian facility to its original home on the Isle of Wight. At the official opening of the repatriated production line in November 2023, Hynett told Pilot magazine that full UK-based production would be used “not just to scale up manufacturing but to improve what we do,” suggesting that the inaugural aircraft was due for completion in May 2024.
This first build is now due for delivery in 2025, with output increasing initially to four aircraft a year and then to eight units annually by 2028. Manufacturing will primarily focus on the unleaded piston version of the Islander, although around 20% will be delivered as turboprops. The first unit is destined for the Falkland Islands.
As part of Britten-Norman’s manufacturing focus, it also intends to ‘invest in more advanced manufacturing tools and machinery, enhancing component production capabilities’ – something it believes will ‘reduce lead times, increase output and improve overall cost efficiency’. This will also allow the company to bring back in-house capabilities it has previously outsourced.
Finally, as part of the investment plan, former Deputy Chief Engineers at Belfast-based Short Brothers will also be joining Britten-Norman’s board.
IMAGE: BRITTEN-NORMAN
