Britten-Norman is a British aircraft manufacturer and provider of aviation services. As the sole independent commercial aircraft producer in the United Kingdom, the company has manufactured and sold almost 1,300 aircraft to customers in over 120 countries. In addition to aircraft manufacturing, Britten-Norman also offers maintenance, overhaul, repair, and sub-contract engineering and design services. The company’s headquarters are located in Bembridge, England, and it operates in seven locations worldwide.
Britten-Norman’s manufacturing facility is located in Lee-on-the-Solent at Daedalus Airfield, a former Royal Naval Air Station, while spare parts production and sub-assemblies are supplied from the Bembridge site and Romanian facility, respectively. The Islander and militarized Defender are among the company’s most well-known aircraft, both of which are capable of short take-off and landing operations. The three-engined Trislander is still in operation, but not currently being manufactured.
John Britten and Desmond Norman founded the company in June 1954 after developing crop-spraying equipment and modifying de Havilland Tiger Moths for a contract in Sudan. After being unable to find a company willing to produce their first design, the Britten-Norman BN-1 Finibee, Britten and Norman analyzed the aviation market and created a brief for a twin-engined utility aircraft capable of operating from short, rough airstrips while also being used for high-density commuter flights. This brief resulted in the creation of the BN-2 Islander, which first flew in 1965.