This aircraft first flew in 1988 and registered as VP-FBL on the Falkland Islands Registry, it was delivered to BAS on July 29, 1988.

British Antarctic Survey (BAS), of Cambridge, England, is a component of the Natural Environment Research Council of the UK, and executes scientific research on and around the Antarctic continent. BAS supports three stations in the Antarctic: Halley at Brunt Ice Shelf (75°35'S, 26°39'W), Rothera at Adelaide Island (67°34'S, 68°08'W) and Signy, South Orkney Islands (60°43'S, 45°36'W). Also supported are two stations at South Georgia: King Edward Point (54°17'S, 36°30'W) and Bird Island (54°00'S, 38°03'W).

Four wheels and skis equipped Twin Otters are operated from Rothera and Halley between late October and early March. They fly for around 1300 hours in the Antarctic supporting the field projects. A de Havilland Dash-7 provides the inter-continental air-link from Rothera to the Falkland Islands, and flies inland to blue ice runways.