BETA Technologies has launched a two month demonstration flight program in Hawaii using its Alia conventional take-off and landing electric aircraft, with the aim of gathering data on the operational, economic, and infrastructure requirements for electric aviation at commercial scale.
The program is a partnership between BETA Technologies and Surf Air Mobility, which operates Mokulele Airlines, Hawaii’s largest commuter airline network by airports served and Hawaiian Airlines, which is providing route and logistics insights, supporting feasibility assessments, and facilitating local stakeholder engagement.
The Alia conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) aircraft is a single-pilot, all-electric fixed-wing design powered by one H500A electric motor driving a five-blade fixed-pitch pusher propeller. The aircraft has a wingspan of 50ft (15m), a maximum range of 387 miles (623km), and a top speed of 176mph (283km/h).
The aircraft can carry up to five passengers or 200ft³ of cargo and charges in under one hour using BETA’s Charge Cube ground infrastructure. The Alia is IFR- and night-capable and requires no specialist airport infrastructure beyond an electrical supply.
Hawaii’s interisland network presents a technically representative environment for commercial-scale electric aircraft evaluation. The state’s short overwater routes, established demand for regional air service, and varied weather conditions provide a controlled but operationally realistic test environment for assessing mission suitability.
Mokulele Airlines’ existing network across the islands gives the program a direct commercial operations baseline against which electric aircraft performance can be benchmarked.
The flight campaign is structured to generate quantified data across five operational areas: aircraft performance; direct operating costs; maintenance requirements for electric aircraft in commercial service; battery performance and energy consumption across representative interisland missions; and crew training, ground handling, safety protocols, and charging infrastructure needs.
Kyle Clark, CEO and founder of BETA Technologies, said, “These early demonstrations will showcase the utility and economics of the BETA Alia aircraft firsthand to Surf Air and inform future high cadence, sustainable intraisland service.”
Deanna White, CEO of Surf Air Mobility, said, “Aviation has talked about electric flight for years. The question is no longer whether electric aircraft can fly, but rather how they can now be successfully integrated into commercial service.
“The data generated through this program will help define the operational, economic, and infrastructure requirements needed to advance the next generation of regional air transportation.”
Surf Air Mobility intends to deploy Alia CTOL aircraft across its Hawaii cargo and passenger operations following FAA certification. The company is also preparing to establish a MRO facility in Hawaii that, once certified, would serve as the factory-authorized BETA service center for the state.
The Hawaii campaign follows the completion of a six-month Alia CTOL operational trial in Norway, conducted by Bristow, which validated aircraft performance, charging infrastructure, and procedures in winter conditions across more than 126 flights. BETA is also one of nine companies involved in the FAA’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, a three-year nationwide initiative covering 26 states that is expected to begin operations this summer.
