The Orkney Islands Council, a regional government in northern Scotland, has acquired a pre-owned Britten-Norman BN-2B-6 Islander, approximately a year after tendering for the aircraft. The Islander will be operated by Loganair under a public service obligation (PSO) contract, complementing two other units of the type.

The tender for the Islander was awarded on August 31 to Cormack Aircraft Services, an aircraft transaction and maintenance specialist focused on Islanders, for a total of GBP550,000 pounds (USD745,000). The council had budgeted up to GBP400,000 (USD540,000) for the acquisition. The tender process, conducted by Orkney Islands Council and Loganair staff, received four proposals.

ch-aviation research shows the newly acquired aircraft is a 1995-built unit, G-HEBO (msn 2268), previously operated by Hebridean Air Services out of Oban and Stornoway on the west coast of Scotland. Hebridean Air Services continues to operate two Islanders, alongside a Costruzioni Aeronautiche TECNAM P2012.

The council is consulting North Isles communities to establish a timetable for interisland air services based on a three-aircraft operation, with the new aircraft expected to enter service for the winter 2026 timetable beginning in late October.

The Islander was acquired as part of a GBP2 million (USD2.7 million) package allocated to the county's interisland transport services and backed by the Scottish government. Under the same package, Orkney Islands Council further acquired a landing-craft-style vessel and a runway roller for the isles' airfields.