BETA Technologies’ ALIA VTOL (A250) aircraft has been awarded a Special Airworthiness Certificate by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Receipt of this award, which authorises market survey operation, marks the first such authorisation granted to an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft thus far.
The authorisation was issued under part Part 21 of the FAA’s regulations, and enables BETA to conduct flights with operators and key stakeholders in an effort to allow interested parties to experience the A250’s capabilities firsthand. It also expands the wider geographic scope of BETA’s operations, providing greater flexibility to demonstrate the capabilities of electric vertical flight across a wider range of operating conditions, subject to applicable FAA limitations.
Designed to operate from locations both with or without runway access; BETA’s A250 is an all-electric VTOL aircraft that has ben designed to deliver lower operating costs, higher reliability and industry-leading range and payload. It shares a common architecture and core technology foundation with BETA’s ALIA CTOL aircraft – including the same propulsion systems, flight control computers, batteries and charging systems, allowing flight experience, manufacturing investment, and operational learning to support both platforms.
The aircraft features dual pilot controls, and is capable of carrying up to five passengers and over 1,200 pounds of cargo in order to support missions across cargo and logistics, medical transportation, defence, and passenger operations.
Kyle Clark, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of BETA, said:This authorization brings vertical flight closer to the people and places that will put it to work, building on BETA’s track record of industry firsts. We completed the first crewed electric VTOL transition flight in 2024, we were first to receive market survey authorization for our conventional takeoff and landing aircraft (“CTOL”), and now we're first with our VTOL.
Operators can now experience the VTOL firsthand and begin planning how it fits into their businesses, from connecting communities to moving people and goods at a lower cost. This is an important step toward commercial adoption, and we're grateful to the FAA for developing the regulatory framework that makes these operations possible.
BETA’s A250 completed its first flight under the new authorisation on 20 October 2026. This initial outing under the market survey authorisation saw the ALIA VTOL take off vertically from Plattsburgh International Airport (PBG) in New York, transition to wing borne flight and land vertically at Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport (BTV) in Vermont, covering 34 nautical miles in 20 minutes.
