Further to VB’s report last week that Britten Norman will be taking over Sandown Airport, this confirmation just in from them, in their own words. Ed
Britten-Norman has taken on leases for two new airfields over the last month, the first of which was Sandown Airfield on the Isle of Wight.
The airfield, which had previously been reduced to the status of “farm strip” will now be managed over the term of the lease as a fully functioning airfield once again.
The move comes following a decision by a local farmer to close the airfield at Bembridge Airport, which the Company had managed and operated very successfully up until last New Year’s Eve, when the farmer’s bales were placed across the taxiways and entrances to the site.
Sandown new aviation hub
Sandown Airfield is proposed as the Company’s new general aviation hub on the Island. The Company hopes to replicate what was achieved at Bembridge airport and has already started some renovation work.
The Company will start promoting the airfield at the end of April 2011 in time for the busy tourist season ahead. Working in partnership with the Isle of Wight Council the Company hopes to introduce a number of initiatives that will encourage tourism in this area and to restore the Island’s place as a popular venue for visiting aviators.
Also taking on Daedalus Airfield
At the same time, the Company has also taken a lease at Daedalus Airfield at Lee-on-the-Solent, near Gosport. The former Royal Naval Air Station was once home to the Hampshire Police Air Support Unit and is the current home of Britten-Norman’s defence operations as well as being the regional home of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
The company intends to link operations between the two sites in order to encourage tourism to both locations, with visitors being offered discounted fees when visiting both sites.
Positive changes for Britten Norman
These changes are very positive for Britten-Norman as a whole, however there is disappointing news for the airfield facing areas of the Group’s business at Bembridge.
Once a hive of aviation activity, the airfield now has few visitors, resulting in a serious downturn for the on-site Aeroclub facilities and Airfield management team. As a consequence, the Company has had to take the difficult decision to reduce the size of the team on that site.
At this time a decision on a possible future location for Bembridge’s general aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul company, BN Aviation, has yet to be taken, though it is anticipated that much of the smaller aircraft maintenance work will be carried out at Sandown.
The remainder of the work will be relocated away from the Isle of Wight. Despite the obvious challenges faced by the farmer’s decision not to allow the Company to operate from Bembridge, the Company intends to try to avoid as many compulsory redundancies in this area as it can through the relocation of its personnel.
With prospects for Sandown airfield looking very good and with the more significant volumes of passing trade expected it is likely that Sandown will be a more favourable solution over the coming period.
Britten-Norman remain at Bembridge
Britten-Norman’s Bembridge site remains an important part of the Group’s footprint and will continue to focus on Customer Support and the manufacture of spare parts and component level maintenance activity. However the local community is likely to continue to suffer over the coming summer as the airfield’s previous visitors look set to follow Britten-Norman’s airfield team in its move to Sandown.
