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 DOT Secretary to fly in such an aircraft and signaling the imminent integration of electric vertical takeoff and landing technology into American transportation.
The flight comes as the DOT prepares for widespread eVTOL adoption through the FAA's eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP), a multi-year initiative spanning 26 states to test applications like urban air taxis, cargo, and medical delivery in real-world operational environments.
Beta Technologies, a key eIPP participant, develops fully electric eVTOL (Alia) and conventional (CX300) aircraft, which offer lower operating costs and are being evaluated by numerous partners for diverse uses, with plans for Alia passenger flights by the program's conclusion.

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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.”