Frisia Luftverkehr (FLN), a commuter airline serving the Frisian Islands off Germany’s northwestern coast, has taken delivery of a BN2B-20 Islander aircraft from Isle of Wight-based B-N Group (BNG), formerly Britten Norman.

This is the tenth successive Islander to be acquired by the airline which has used the 10-seat, twin-engined workhorse regularly since 1975.

Managing director Tjado Ihmels told EBAN why FLN is so comfortable with the aircraft. “We have a small runway between 600 metres in length and 20 metres wide, and the Islanders have very good shortfield performance,” he said.

“The aircraft’s short take-off and landing capability, even in strong crosswinds, is a great advantage when operating from a short runway. There is no alternative to the Islander for our task of providing an essential airlink to the Frisian Islands.” \r

With regard to the lure of the Frisian Islands to German holiday-makers, Ihmels added: “It’s a very popular destination because of its sun, beaches and clean water. Both businessmen and holiday-makers use us. This time of year is very busy – we’re transporting 200 people back and forth today.”

The latest Islander was delivered on July 10 when BNG chairman Alawi Zawawi, FLN chief pilot Klaus Urban and Uwe Thies, head of flight operations, ferried the aircraft to FLN’s base in Norden-Norddeich, bringing the operator’s current Islander fleet to three. A BNG delegation attended a formal reception in Germany to celebrate the delivery.

The aircraft is equipped with the Liese noise reduction system and 4-bladed propellers. FLN carries out 30 to 40 take-offs and landings per day, with some sectors as short as five minutes. Said Ihmels: “These numbers are increased when the ferries are unable to operate due to tide restrictions.”

Asked whether FLN is likely to added anymore Islanders in the near future, Ihmels said: “Three is enough for now.”

B-N Group has recently sold six new aircraft including three Islanders to Japan, the FLN aircraft and one for Irish operator Aer Arran.