Beta Technologies has landed a deposit-backed order for up to 20 of its electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) Alia A250 aircraft from medical operator Metro Aviation.
Louisiana-based Metro plans to integrate Beta’s aircraft into its existing network, the companies said on 4 November. Metro currently operates an 170-strong fleet of rotorcraft and fixed-wing aircraft in 27 states throughout the USA, including in ”some of the most challenging environments, from remote rural areas to mountainous regions with varying elevations”.
Metro says that it has “been in conversation with various eVTOL developers over the past several years” and chose Beta because of its “pragmatic approach and genuine interest in an operator’s perspective”.
”We believe Beta has the superior product in the eVTOL space and they are taking the right approach to entering the market,” says Todd Stanberry, co-owner of Metro.
Beta has long envisaged its yet-to-be-certificated aircraft to be used for organ and tissue transportation. In September, the company secured a $20 million multi-phase contract with the US Department of Health and Human Services to boost emergency response in rural areas of the eastern USA. Through the contract, Beta is installing electric aircraft chargers along the East and Gulf Coasts.
The Vermont-based start-up is developing two versions of its Alia aircraft – the A250 and conventional take-off CX300 – with passenger and cargo variants of both.
Beta on 31 October disclosed that it had raised $318 million as part of its Series C funding round, led by Qatar Investment Authority – the Gulf state’s sovereign wealth fund. Fidelity Management & Research, TPG Rise Climate and United Therapeutics also joined the round as investors.
