Britten-Norman Islander

The Britten-Norman Islander is a British twin-engine piston aircraft with a high wing and fixed landing gear, designed for small islands and airstrips with little infrastructure. About 1,300 have been built for more than 120 countries, and the type is still in production. In Orkney, Loganair links the islands by Islander, including the 2.7 km hop from Westray to Papa Westray, regarded as the shortest scheduled flight in the world.

On charter the Islander is an air taxi for short legs:

Cabin: benches and a door for each row

The cabin is about 2.90 m long, 1.09 m wide and 1.24 m high. Passengers sit two by two on benches with no aisle; instead several doors in the side of the fuselage give each row its own entrance. In flight you can neither stand up nor change seats.

Layout and version depend on the operator:

The engines sit right beside the windows and the cabin is noisy, so headsets help. There is no toilet, galley or cabin crew; bring water and snacks. The large windows under the high wing give a clear view down on a crossing to Corsica or the Channel Islands.

Baggage: soft bags and a shared weight limit

The 0.71 m³ hold sits behind the last bench and cannot be reached in flight. With nine on board there is no room for a large suitcase each, but with fewer passengers the operator can remove a bench for larger items. People, bags and fuel share one weight limit, so with a full cabin the operator may restrict bags or fuel.

• Nine passengers: one soft bag each
• Four to six passengers: normal suitcases and a golf bag
• Bicycles or fishing gear: only if a bench can come out

Short runways, low altitude and weather

The usual BN-2B has two six-cylinder Lycoming piston engines and flies with one pilot. It is approved for short grass and unpaved runways, which is why it lands where there is no proper airport. The quoted range is long, but with benches and no toilet, legs beyond two hours make little sense for passengers.

Charter practice in Europe

In Europe the Islander mostly flies scheduled island services, skydiving and survey work, and only a handful of AOC holders offer it for passenger charter, so positioning is often the largest item in the quote.

• Busy hubs: Nice and Geneva are slot-coordinated, and a smaller airfield nearby can be quicker to arrange for a slow aircraft
• Fuel: avgas is not sold on every island, so the aircraft may carry fuel for the return
• Domestic legs: an EU operator may fly Hamburg - Sylt, while UK domestic legs are closed to EU operators

Islander routes from European hubs

28 one-way legs from all thirteen hubs, none over two and a half hours or with a fuel stop. Prices are for the whole aircraft with pilot, without airport fees and passenger taxes; flight time is the great-circle distance plus taxi, climb and approach.

Up to two hours: island hops and Alpine valleys

Two to four hours: the limit on bench seats

Up to about an hour and a half, as on Hamburg - Sylt or Zurich - Sion, the Islander is in its element and a turboprop would save little time. Nice - Olbia (1:54 h) and Madrid - Ibiza (2:17 h) are already long on a bench without a toilet. The Alps from Paris, Spain from Switzerland or Greece from Central Europe call for a turboprop or a light jet.

The calculator gives an indicative price for an Islander or a similar small aircraft on your route.

What an Islander charter costs

The rate starts at EUR 900 per flight hour for the whole aircraft with pilot and fuel. On short legs take-off, landing and positioning weigh heavily: Hamburg - Sylt (1:11 h) and Nice - Calvi (1:12 h) both cost from EUR 4,000, more than four times the hourly rate.

On the longer rows the hour becomes cheaper: Geneva - Saint-Tropez (1:48 h) from EUR 4,500 and Madrid - Ibiza (2:17 h) from EUR 5,000. Split between nine passengers, the Islander is one of the cheapest ways to charter a whole aircraft.

Nice - Calvi for the whole aircraft and split per passenger, before taxes and fees:

Ways to pay less

Empty Legs

Empty Islander legs are rare, as few aircraft fly passenger charter in Europe. If one matches your route it can be 30-60% below a normal charter, but the date and route are fixed and the leg can be cancelled if the aircraft is sold as a full charter.

Comparable small aircraft

Clients asking for an Islander usually end up comparing these types:

What to send us

• Route and date, with the name of the airfield if it is a small island
• Number of passengers and their approximate weight
• Bags, bicycles, golf bags or a dog
• Whether the date can move if the weather is poor
• Whether another small aircraft is acceptable if no Islander is free

On an island with a short runway, weight and weather matter more than speed, so the more we know in advance, the better the quote from the AOC holder.

Britten-Norman Islander: questions and answers

• • How much does an Islander flight cost?

  • From EUR 900 per flight hour. Nice - Calvi costs from EUR 4,000, London Farnborough - Jersey from EUR 4,500 and Madrid - Ibiza from EUR 5,000 for the whole aircraft one way, before airport fees, taxes and any positioning.

• • What is added to the table price?

  • Airport and handling fees, passenger taxes, positioning when the aircraft is based far away and the pilot's hotel if it waits overnight. A departure from Milan to Florence adds EUR 100 per passenger in Italian tax. The quote lists each item.

• • Why does a one-hour flight cost almost as much as a longer one?

  • Positioning, take-off, landing and the minimum charge are the same on every leg, so Hamburg - Sylt costs from EUR 4,000 at a rate of EUR 900 per hour.

• • How can I fly the Islander for less?

  • Fill the cabin, fly out and back the same day and choose a departure near the operator's base. Flexible dates help as well.

• • Are there Empty Legs on the Islander?

  • Rarely, because few aircraft fly passenger charter. If one fits it can be 30-60% cheaper; send your route and dates to empty-legs@jets.flights.

• • How many people can fly?

  • One pilot and up to nine passengers on benches. With nine adults there is room only for soft bags, so four to six people with luggage is more realistic.

• • Is there a toilet on the Islander?

  • No. That is why we recommend the type for legs under two hours; on longer ones the pilot plans a landing on the way.

• • Can we bring a dog or bicycles?

  • Usually a dog in a carrier in the cabin, with the operator's consent. Bicycles fit when a bench can come out, so send the number and size in advance.

• • Can the Islander land on a grass strip?

  • Yes, it is approved for short grass and unpaved runways. The operator must approve the strip, and fuel for the return may have to be carried.