BETA wins landmark FAA clearance for eVTOL flights with customers aboard

The FAA granted BETA Technologies a Special Airworthiness Certificate for market-survey flights of its electric VTOL ALIA A250 with prospective customers on board. The first flight on October 20 covered 34 nautical miles (39 miles) in 20 minutes from Plattsburgh to Burlington. Full type certification for routine commercial service is still pending.

• FAA certificate covers demonstration flights, not commercial passenger service
• First flight: 34 nautical miles in 20 minutes with vertical takeoff and landing
• ALIA A250 carries up to five passengers or over 1,200 pounds of cargo
• BETA's CTOL and VTOL fleet has logged over 250,000 nautical miles