Britten-Norman is building two new Islanders for the Falkland Islands Government Aviation Service (FIGAS)
The first will be delivered in the summer, the second in early 2020, bringing its fleet to six. Both will be outfitted as commuters, equipped with the Garmin G600TXi avionics suite, System 55X Autopilot and Spidertracks.
FIGAS, which has operated Islanders since October 1979, needs the additional aircraft to cope with the Falklands’ increasing popularity as a tourist destination.
Passenger numbers have risen from 5,800 in 2011/12 to 8,800 in 2017/18 – a trend that the airline expects to continue.
Its service has gradually evolved from air ambulance and mail service to passengers, freight, fishery patrol and scenic flights, with tourists and local residents making up most of the traffic.
