PARIS—The Paris Air Show kicked off with a bang—or more accurately, a whir—as Beta Technologies’ Alia became the first electric aircraft to fly in the show’s history.
The five-seater—designed for a pilot and four passengers, plus luggage—was the first aircraft demonstration of the event. And Beta at the show announced its newest customer: Republic Airways.
During a passenger-carrying Alia trip into John F. Kennedy International Airport (KJFK) earlier this month—the first electric aircraft flight into that region’s three major airports—Beta founder and CEO Kyle Clark hinted that Republic might soon become a customer. Matt Koscal, president of Republic, was onboard that flight.
Now, it’s official. The partners on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the delivery of a “pre-certified” Alia to Republic, which Clark told reporters in Paris will happen later this year. Republic will use the aircraft to choose passenger and cargo routes for Alia. The airline operates regional service for several major carriers, including American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines.
Clark said the collaboration will later explore Beta’s electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) variant, which will be certified after the conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) Alia. Beta pilots train on the CTOL before graduating to the VTOL, he said, since the models are identical—save for extra vertical lift propellers on the latter.
“The strategy is very clear: Cargo and then passenger in conventional, cargo and then passenger in VTOL,” Clark said. “Then when you go to the VTOL, all you’re really doing is adding a really good flap setting, which allows you to get really slow taking off and landing.”
Clark declined to share the full scope of the deal—only that “we’re talking about a lot of aircraft.” He added that the partners will begin with a “six, potentially eight passenger aircraft” before moving to “something larger.” That’s notable as Alia is marketed for only four passengers.
Flying For Real
Clark said the Paris Air Show demonstration was intended to get Republic and other prospective customers comfortable with Alia. He said the company has a rule: “We don’t show up to an air show unless we fly the airplane there.”
The same philosophy applies to the early delivery to Republic.
“We have to start by getting the aircraft in their hands,” Clark said. “I believe that this strategy right here puts us in front of all the rest of the [advanced air mobility] market, by actually flying with our customers’ pilots.”
Clark said Beta is flying multiple Alia aircraft several times per day near its production facility in Vermont, which opened in 2023 and could churn out 300 aircraft per year. But the company also puts Alia through real-world paces. In February and March, it completed a six-week, 8,000 nm barnstorm across the U.S., stopping at 25 states and more than 80 airfields, including Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International (KATL)—the busiest airport in the world.
A second Alia is taking on Europe. Its “Grand Tour” kicked off in Ireland, where Beta plans to extend its U.S. network of electric chargers into Europe. The model then flew more than 150 nm across the Irish Sea—landing with IFR reserves—and 50 nm over the English Channel into France. The trip will culminate in delivery to customer Bristow Norway, which will conduct a six-month test campaign.
“We’re flying at night, IFR, flying across the Irish Sea over the waves with a 45 knot head,” Clark said. “We’re flying into Atlanta. We’re flying into JFK. These are the things that give people confidence.”
Clark said Republic will receive a “very similar” version of that aircraft and expects to begin crew training in the U.S. “at all of their relevant routes.” He declined to say exactly how Republic will use it but hinted an airborne shuttle service “would be a natural conclusion.”
The arrangement could help Republic get a feel for the “reliability, utility, and most importantly, the economics” of Alia, Clark said. That trip to JFK, for example, used just $7 worth of electricity compared to $350 to $500 of fuel, per his estimate.
“Our customers need to see it to believe it,” Clark said.
The Beta CEO said Alia’s cargo capacity—about 1,250 pounds packed within 200 cubic feet—is designed to be roughly the same as a sprinter van driven by a company like UPS, which is a customer. That could allow Republic to test intermodal transfers, for example.
First to Market?
Clark repeatedly claimed Beta will beat eVTOL competitors such as Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation to market.
Certifying the Alia CTOL first, he said, “allows us to start flights with electric aircraft and commercial operations much sooner than if we went directly to the eVTOL passenger…and I’m confident we’ll get there first.”
Clark said Beta has completed Type Inspection Authority (TIA) for Alia’s dual redundant H500A motor, which has 575 peak horsepower. It will also certify the propellers and aircraft itself, with TIA aircraft testing planned for later this year.
Clark brushed off a question about crewed eVTOL transition flights, which Beta achieved for the first time in 2024, but said he would deliver an update next month. Under the FAA’s new powered-lift SFAR, he said, pilots can use up to 15 hours of simulator time to contribute toward the 50 hours required for an eVTOL type rating.
SMG Consulting, which tracks air taxi entry into service timelines, estimates that Beta’s eVTOL will hit the market in 2028: after Joby’s S4 and around the time of Archer’s Midnight. But Sergio Cecutta, who leads the company’s research, told FLYING that having the CTOL certainly helps.
“Eighty to 85 percent of the certification test requirements will already have been done as part of the Part 23 certification of the CTOL,” Cecutta said. “So all of those documents can just go in the VTOL certification as is.”
Beta is also developing 30 and 60 kilowatt charging systems, the larger of which is certified in the U.S. and awaiting approval in Europe. The company in 2024 more than doubled the size of its U.S. network, giving Alia plenty of hubs to juice up.
With the model designed for IFR operations, though, Beta may face more safety requirements than its VFR competitors.
“Aerospace has no sense of humor for making mistakes,” Clark said. “We have to do it right, methodically, and do the step-by-step entry into market.”
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