FALKLAND ISLANDS GOVERNMENT
PRESS STATEMENT
9 November 2026
Arrival of new FIGAS Islander
The Falkland Islands Government Air Service is pleased to announce that the new Islander aircraft VP-FTS will arrive this afternoon, Monday 9 November, from Punta Arenas.
The plane is expected to land at Stanley Airport (SFAL) at approx. 1430hrs, following a celebratory run down Stanley Harbour and a flypast of the aerodrome.
Members of the community are keenly encouraged to come and welcome the latest member of the FIGAS family upon arrival. Any last-minute changes to the ETA will be communicated via the FIGAS Facebook page.
FIGAS General Manager Duane Stewart expressed the Service’s satisfaction at being able to integrate VP-FTS into the local fleet: “Islanders remain the most suitable aircraft for FIGAS operations. They’re well suited to our short runways, offer a practical payload, and are familiar to our crews and engineers. We’re very pleased to see the latest addition to the Falklands team touching down here, finally.”
FIGAS has been operating Britten-Norman-built Islanders for more than four decades, flying across the Falkland Islands, from short grass and gravel strips, on passenger and freight/mail services between settlements, medical flights, environmental monitoring and charter work.
VP-FTS is the first Islander assembled entirely in the UK from detail component level, at Britten-Norman’s Bembridge facility on the Isle of Wight – marking the return of full civil Islander manufacturing to the United Kingdom.
It made its first flight on 3 September, and was formally handed over to FIGAS Chief Pilot, Troyd Bowles, on 8 October. The plane left the UK on 20 October, with ferry tanks fitted, beginning a journey that would take it through Iceland, Greenland, the United States, and down the length of South America, before eventually arriving in the Falkland Islands.
MLA Roger Spink, portfolio holder for Commercial Services, also welcomed the new plane to Stanley: “After a long wait, it is good to see the arrival of this new plane for our aircraft fleet that deliver a vital link for our Camp community.”
FIGAS management and flying crew, as well as the delivery pilot, will be available for interview this afternoon.
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ENDS