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Alia
an Alia CX300 in flight
Alia CX300 in flight
General information
TypeUtility aircraft
National originUnited States
ManufacturerBeta Technologies
History
Manufactured2020–present
First flightEarly 2020 (tethered)

The Beta Technologies Alia (officially stylized as ALIA) is an electric utility aircraft built by Beta Technologies. The Alia is built in two models; the VTOL Alia A250, and the CTOL Alia CX300.

Design and development

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Beta Technologies unveiled the Alia A250 prototype in June 2020.[1] A successor to the Beta Technologies Ava prototype, the Alia is a small 6,000 lb (2,720 kg) aircraft with an arched 50 ft (15 m) wing. An electric aircraft, the Alia A250 is powered by a single pusher propeller for forward flight as well as four rotors mounted at wing level for VTOL flight.[1]

By the end of 2022, the company had begun to repurpose an Energizer Battery plant in St. Albans, Vermont for use as its primary battery production and validation facility.[2]

In September 2024, BETA unveiled the prototype of its five-passenger ALIA aircraft.[3]

BETA was granted a multipurpose special airworthiness certificate by the FAA for its first CX300 production aircraft which then performed its maiden test flight with CEO Kyle Clark at the helm.[4] BETA also became the first electric aircraft manufacturer to incorporate Garmin’s G3000 Prime avionics system into its aircraft.[5]

Operational history

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Beta Technologies' final assembly and production facility in South Burlington, Vermont. Multiple Alia aircraft are in various stages of production, and in the center is the prototype A250.
BETA Technologies’ 320 kW charge cube

By June 2020, the Alia A250 had undergone several months of tethered vertical flight testing.[6]

In March 2021, the ALIA A250 made a test flight from Plattsburgh, New York, across Lake Champlain to Burlington, Vermont.[7] In April, United Parcel Service (UPS) entered into a contract for ten A250 aircraft to be supplied in 2024, which included the option for UPS to acquire up to 150 more aircraft.[8] UPS announced it planned to have them travel directly to and from UPS facilities, rather than use airports.[9] In April, Blade Urban Air Mobility made a commitment to purchase up to 20 ALIA aircraft, becoming BETA's first passenger service company.[10] In May, the US Air Force's Public Affairs office announced that Beta Technologies was granted the Air Force's first airworthiness certificate as a part of the AFWERX Agility Prime program, allowing the military to begin using the company's aircraft for test flights.[11] In July, the company completed a 205 mi (330 km) crewed flight of its aircraft, its longest flight up to that point.[12] For longer-range military applications, a hybrid solution using an onboard diesel-powered electricity generator to supply the engines is under development. After a long deployment flight, for example, the generator could be detached and be used as a ground base to supply power for short flights.[13]

The company announced on January 31, 2022, that it had won a US Army contract to support flight testing of its ALIA electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. The partnership is designed to help the Army test specific military cargo and logistics missions for eVTOLs, while allowing Beta to accelerate development for both military and civil applications. Initially, Army engineers and Beta's team would evaluate how ALIA might best be applied to specific missions by measuring its range, altitude, endurance, and payload limits.[14] In March 2022, the company hosted the United States Air Force and USAF test pilots flew the ALIA aircraft for the first time.[15]

In April 2022, aircraft lessor Lease Corporation International placed an order for fifty ALIA aircraft,[16] and in August that year, vertical lift aircraft operator Bristow Helicopters ordered five ALIA with options for an additional fifty.[17]

In May 2022, an ALIA aircraft completed a flight of 1,400 mi (2,300 km) in total, from New York State to Arkansas. This included stops along the way for recharging on the company's network.[18] The ALIA was included in X-Plane 12, desktop simulation software developed by Laminar Research, in October 2022.[19]

In December 2022, an ALIA completed another test flight after traveling 876 mi (1,410 km) to UPS Worldport, where its founder was met by US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.[20] The same month, the company completed a FAA-sponsored 50 ft (15 m) battery drop test with the National Institute of Aviation Research as part of crashworthiness determination for the eVTOL industry.[21]

In March 2023, the company sought FAA certification for a conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) variant of its ALIA aircraft, dubbed the CX300, and had received orders for the new product from Bristow, Air New Zealand, and United Therapeutics.[22] The company said that FAA test pilots had flown the aircraft during a qualification evaluation earlier that year.[23]

In April 2024, the ALIA A250 aircraft completed a piloted transition, going from hover to wing-borne flight and then back to hover before landing.[24]

In July 2024, the company completed several military exercises in collaboration with the Department of Defense, for the Air Force and Air National Guard, including cargo transport and a medivac simulation.[25]

By the end of 2024, Metro Aviation had placed an order for 20 ALIA aircraft, as one of the first air medical service providers in the US to add eVTOL aircraft to its fleet.[26] The New Zealand Air Ambulance Service had also ordered two A250.[27]

In April 2025, the prototype CX300 conducted a six-week demonstration tour of the US, registered as N916LF. It departed from the company’s test facility in Plattsburgh, New York, flew through snowstorms and desert heat, then returned to South Burlington, Vermont. One leg of the trip involved landing at the busy Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport under instrument flight rules.[28] In June, N916LF made the first electric-powered passenger-carrying flight in the US by taking four people from East Hampton, Long Island to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.[29]

In May 2025, an ALIA CX300 aircraft completed the first fully electric piloted flight in Ireland at Shannon Airport. This marked the beginning of a European demonstration tour, ending with the aircraft's delivery to a customer in Norway.[30]

Variants

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Alia A250
The A250 is an all-electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft that uses four top-mounted lift motors and one rear pusher motor to achieve vertical capabilities as well as wing-borne flight while in cruise.[31] It is designed to charge in under an hour, and carry five passengers or cargo for up to 250 NM (460 km; 290 mi), which is the basis for the model number.[32] The design of the 50 ft (15 m) wing was inspired by the arctic tern, a migratory bird known for its long flights. Its engines provide separate lift and thrust, as opposed to the tilt-rotor design of AVA, with a planned maximum range of 250 NM (460 km; 290 mi) at a weight of 6,000 lb (2,700 kg) and a cruise speed of 170 mph (270 km/h).[32][33] In April 2024, this design achieved a switch from vertical to normal flight.[34]
Alia CX300
The CX300 is an all-electric conventional take-off and landing aircraft that is designed to charge in under an hour, and can be used in passenger, cargo, medical, or military configurations. The aircraft is powered by one rear-mounted pusher motor and its lift is created by the same 50 ft (15 m) wing.[35]

Operators

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Specifications (Alia CX300)

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Data from [36]

General characteristics

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 176 mph (283 km/h, 153 kn)
  • Range: 387 mi (622 km, 336 nmi)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Adams, Eric (June 15, 2021). "Beta unveils its new eVTOL: the avian-inspired Alia". evtol.com. Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  2. ^ Ellerbrock, Josh (December 22, 2022). "BETA gets local DRB approval; Expected buildout includes concrete testing chambers". samessenger.com. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  3. ^ Bellan, Rebecca (September 30, 2024). "Beta Technologies unveils first passenger carrying electric aircraft". techcrunch. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  4. ^ Weitering, Hanneke (November 14, 2024). "Beta Flies First Electric Airplane Produced in Vermont Factory". Aviation International News. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  5. ^ Weitering, Hanneke (November 15, 2024). "Beta's Electric Airplane Debuts Garmin G3000 Prime Avionics". Aviation International News. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  6. ^ "Beta unveils its new eVTOL: the avian-inspired Alia". Vertical Mag. June 16, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
  7. ^ Adams, Eric (March 17, 2021). "Beta scores multiple milestones in quiet pursuit of electric flight". evtol.com. Archived from the original on March 17, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  8. ^ Holland, Frank (April 8, 2021). "Beta hopes its electric vertical aircraft deal with UPS validates this new mode of transport". cnbc.com. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  9. ^ Head, Elan (April 7, 2021). "Beta Technologies announces deal with UPS for up to 150 eVTOL aircraft". evtol.com. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  10. ^ "Blade orders up to 20 eVTOL aircraft from Beta Technologies". Vertical. April 13, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  11. ^ "Air Force awards first airworthiness approval for human flight in electric aircraft program". Air Force. May 5, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  12. ^ "Beta's fully electric Alia aircraft achieves 200+ mile test flight". eVTOL. July 7, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  13. ^ Reim, Garrett (December 16, 2024). "AFWERX Says Agility Prime eVTOLs Lack Range, Shifts To Hybrid". Aviation Week. Archived from the original on December 19, 2024. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  14. ^ "U.S. Army Partners with eVTOL Developer Beta Technologies". FLYING Magazine. January 31, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  15. ^ Verger, Rob (March 14, 2022). "The Air Force just soared past an electric aircraft milestone". popsci.com. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  16. ^ Whyte, Alasdair (April 27, 2022). "LCI orders 50 Alia eVTOLs from Beta". Helicopterinvestor.com. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  17. ^ Weitering, Hanneke (August 9, 2022). "Bristow Orders Up to 55 of Beta's Alia 250 eVTOL Aircraft". futureflight.aero. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  18. ^ Verger, Rob (June 2, 2022). "An electric aircraft just completed a journey of 1,403 miles". popsci.com. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  19. ^ Nevans, Jan (October 20, 2022). "Experiencing the future of flight through simulation software". Vertical Magazine. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  20. ^ Cowan, Gerrard (December 19, 2022). "Beta achieves multi-mission flight from New York to Kentucky". Vertical Magazine. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  21. ^ Weitering, Hanneke (December 27, 2022). "Beta Partners With eVTOL Safety Researchers for 50-foot Battery Drop Test". Future Flight. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  22. ^ Weitering, Hanneke (March 14, 2023). "Beta Technologies Plans To Certify Electric CTOL Airplane". futureflight.aero. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  23. ^ Freedman, Andrew (March 14, 2023). "Meet Beta Technologies' new electric plane". axios.com. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  24. ^ Weitering, Hanneke (April 23, 2024). "Beta's Alia 250 eVTOL Aircraft Achieves Piloted Transition Flights". Aviation International News. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  25. ^ Le Marquand, Yves (July 15, 2024). "BETA completes two new US Air Force deployments". revolution.aero. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  26. ^ Daleo, Jack (November 5, 2024). "Air Ambulance Service Metro Aviation Orders 20 Beta Electric VTOL Aircraft". FLYING Magazine. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  27. ^ Weitering, Hanneke (December 20, 2024). "New Zealand Air Ambulance Service Orders Beta's eVTOL Aircraft". Aviation International News. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  28. ^ Daleo, Jack (April 2, 2025). "Electric Aircraft Completes 6-Week, 22-State Cross-Country Journey". flyingmag.com. Retrieved June 6, 2025.
  29. ^ Daleo, Jack (June 3, 2025). "Beta Completes Historic Passenger-Carrying Flight at JFK Airport". flyingmag.com. Retrieved June 6, 2025.
  30. ^ O'Sullivan, Kevin (May 26, 2025). "US company behind Ireland's first fully electric plane flight says Shannon crucial for future operations". The Irish Times. Retrieved June 6, 2025.
  31. ^ Jenkins, Lisa (September 8, 2022). "An electric aviation startup is building a charging network for all". protocol.com. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  32. ^ a b "Beta Technologies ALIA". eVTOL News. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  33. ^ Brouwer, Derek (March 9, 2023). "Beta Technologies Opens Satellite Office in Montréal". Seven Days. Vermont. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  34. ^ Weitering, Hanneke (April 23, 2024). "Beta's Alia 250 eVTOL Aircraft Achieves Piloted Transition Flights". Aviation International News. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  35. ^ Freedman, Andrew (March 14, 2023). "Meet Beta Technologies' new electric plane". axios.com. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  36. ^ "Aircraft". beta.team. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
  37. ^ "FAA Certifies Hartzell's First Electric Aircraft Engine Propeller | AIN". Aviation International News. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Beta Technologies ALIA.

Category:Electric aircraft Category:Single-engined pusher aircraft Category:High-wing aircraft Category:High-wing aircraft Category:Twin-boom aircraft Category:Quadrotors Category:V-tail aircraft

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