Alaskan cargo airline Ryan Air has placed an order for Beta Technologies’ Alia electric aircraft and committed to install up to ten Charge Cube charging stations. The electric aircraft will be used in the remote regions of the US’ most northern state.
According to Ryan Air, it serves more than 70 rural communities across Alaska, many of which are inaccessible by road and depend on air transport for supplies. The carrier intends to deploy the Alia CTOL (conventional take-off and landing) to deliver food, medicine and other essential goods.
The aircraft is designed to carry up to 1,250 pounds of cargo and is capable of operating under instrument flight rules and in known icing conditions, features that are critical for safe operations in Alaska’s severe weather.
The Alia CTOL uses a proprietary H500A electric motor paired with Hartzell propellers engineered for electric and hybrid-electric propulsion. With a wingspan of 50 feet, the aircraft achieves a demonstrated range of 336 nautical miles (about 622 kilometres) and a maximum speed of 153 knots (about 285 kph). Its battery system enables charging to 98 per cent in under an hour and is designed for second-life applications.
To support operations, Ryan Air will introduce up to ten Beta Charge Cubes at key locations. These stations integrate energy storage and are compatible not only with Beta aircraft but also with other electric aircraft and ground vehicles, including buses and trucks. This approach is intended to reduce demand on local grids, many of which in rural Alaska continue to rely on diesel generation.
Beta Technologies is an aviation company based in the US that specialises in the manufacture of purely electric aircraft – vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) and conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) models. Its planes are also used in Europe, namely in Norway and Denmark.
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