Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy Lifts Off in Electric Air Taxi

Flight in Beta Technologies’ Alia comes as officials ready for more extensive public demonstrations.

Jack Daleo

Monday, June 01, 2026 at 03:00 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Beta Technologies CEO Kyle Clark (left) stands next to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in front of the company’s Alia, an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) design. [Credit: U.S. Department of Transportation]

Key Takeaways:

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy made a historic flight in Beta Technologies' Alia eVTOL, becoming the first Secretary to do so and emphasizing the government's belief in eVTOLs as a transformative future for transportation.
The Department of Transportation is advancing eVTOL integration through the FAA's eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP), which involves 26 states testing applications like air taxis, cargo, and medical deliveries with real airports and air traffic control over at least three years.
Beta Technologies, a key eIPP participant, manufactures all-electric Alia eVTOL and CX300 aircraft, which offer low operating costs and are being evaluated by various partners for diverse applications, including eventual passenger service.

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“This is not the Jetsons,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in a new video capturing his flight on Beta Technologies’ Alia eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft. “This is actual real life.”

Duffy on Friday became the first transportation secretary to fly in an eVTOL aircraft, the Transportation Department said Monday. Duffy called the sortie a “historic flight into the future” and said eVTOL models will “fundamentally change the way people and products move.”