Bristow signs order for up to 55 Beta Technologies ALIA-250 eVTOL aircraft

Bristow Group Inc. (Houston, Texas, U.S.), a global provider of innovative and sustainable vertical flight solutions, has placed a firm order for five electrically powered vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) ALIA-250 aircraft manufactured by electric aviation company Beta Technologies (South Burlington, Vt., U.S.). Bristow will also have the option to purchase an additional 50 ALIA aircraft.

The ALIA will have a maximum range of 250 nautical miles. It is designed to carry 1,400 pounds of payload, or can carry six people including a pilot. With a 50-foot wingspan and a carbon fiber fuselage (more about composites fabrication here), the aircraft uses a single distributed direct-electric propulsion system and has four horizontally mounted rotors that provide vertical lift and a single propeller in the rear to propel the aircraft forward.

Moreover, ALIA’s battery will reportedly be charged in under an hour using Beta’s own charging infrastructure, which can be deployed as a standalone fixture to enable airport operations or integrated into a charging pad for off-airport applications.

“This order firmly positions Bristow as an early adopter and leader in pragmatically developing advanced air mobility [AAM] operations and ushering in a new era in vertical lift solutions,” Dave Stepanek, Bristow executive vice president and chief transformation officer, says. “By leveraging our 70-plus years of expertise as a leader in vertical lift, we plan to use the Beta ALIA to safely and reliably move passengers and time-sensitive cargo as part of the development of new regional mobility networks in the U.S. and other strategic locations."

According to Kyle Clark, founder and CEO of Beta Technologies, the company “designed ALIA with reliability, efficiency and the highest value cargo in mind, all of which are central to the types of critical missions Bristow carries out on a global stage. Over the past few months, we’ve made strides with our flight test program, proving the aircraft is capable of performing in conditions it will see in service.”

Beta recently secured a 355,000-square-foot facility lease at Burlington National Airport to design, produce and assemble electric aircraft. In 2021, the company secured an initial order of 20 ALIA aircraft.