For decades, the robust and proven Britten-Norman Islander has been a familiar sight in German coastal air traffic on the North Sea coast, but it is now getting on in years and there can be problems with the supply of spare parts. There used to be a saying: ‘Only an Islander can replace an Islander’, and so it was that old aircraft of this type were always replaced by new ones. But now an Italian aircraft manufacturer has entered the market with a truly adequate replacement.

There used to be at least 10 providers of German seaside resort traffic on the North Sea coast, but the market there has long since consolidated and is now shared by just two companies: OFD-Ostfriesischer Flugdienst, formerly OLT and one of Germany’s oldest airlines; and FLN-Frisia Luftverkehr Norddeich. Both are owned by large shipping companies: OFD by AG Ems and FLN by Frisia. And as was the case with all the former operators, the Britten-Norman Islander has been their workhorse of choice since the early 1970s.

Britten-Norman has been based in Bembridge on the Isle of Wight in the UK since the 1960s and, after several changes including Romanian licence production, changes of ownership and location, it is now based back where it all started.

The Pascale brothers from Capua in Italy also have a long history with their original company Partenavia and its successful P68 model, which first flew in 1968. After selling the company, they founded Tecnam and continue to produce small aircraft – The latest being the P2012 Traveller, which first flew in 2012 and has since developed a STOL variant. With nine seats it is twice as large as its little twin-engine sister, the P2006T, which took off for the first time in 2006 and has since been developed into the NG-Next Generation for up to four passengers.

This year, for the first time, both operators have decided that a Tecnam can replace an Islander. FLN is relying on the larger P2012 STOL primarily to shuttle between Harle and Wangerooge, and still operates Islanders. OFD has opted for the P2006T, which it will soon deploy from Heide-Busum and Cuxhaven to Heligoland. The company has already completely phased out its Islanders, but also operates a single-engine, five-seat GA8 Airvan from Emden to Borkum.

Eventually the entire fleets will be replaced and the Italian aircraft will dominate routes over the Wadden Sea. It will be quieter and more comfortable on the coast, and one day it may be possible to travel using biofuel, electricity or green hydrogen. It may also be the case that these new models will enable expansion of the route networks, which are now significantly smaller than they once were.