B-N GROUP LTD
Pilatus Aircraft Ltd of Switzerland, which acquired Britten-Norman (Bembridge) Ltd 1979, sold the company on 21 July 1998 to investment group Litchfield Continental Ltd, at which time the original name Britten-Norman Ltd was readopted. Company sold almost immediately to Global Spill Management (environmental protection) which reformed as Biofarm (pharmaceutical manufacturer) in Romania. Agreement to purchase Romaero, long-term maker of Islander airframes, made January 1999, but not concluded. Proposed capital injection by UAE-based HSDP, early 2000, also failed to take place.
On 3 April 2000 Britten-Norman was placed in receivership; sale announced 26 April to Alawi Zawawi Enterprises of Oman, and renamed B-N Group Ltd (BNG). Order backlog at that time stood at nearly £12 million. Employment stood at approximately 100 in early 2003.
On 28 January 2002, B-N Group signed a 15-year agreement with Bembridge Airfield Ltd under which BNG will manage and develop Bembridge Airfield, thus securing the site for the manufacture and development of the Islander and Defender range.
In August 2002, BNG signed a contract with Romaero for production of 24 Islander airframes over a two-year period, with the option for Defenders to replace some of the contracted Islanders. BNG's turnover in 2001-2002 was £8 million. B-N Aircraft Ltd is design and manufacturing subsidiary.