Beta's electric plane lands at JFK

Beta Technologies has marked a major milestone in electric aviation by becoming the first U.S. company to land an all-electric, passenger-carrying aircraft at New York’s JFK International Airport. Its electric plane ALIA completed a 45-minute flight from East Hampton Airport, carrying a pilot and four passengers, including executives from Blade Air Mobility and Republic Airways. The aircraft—a fully electric ALIA CX300—is engineered for short-haul urban and regional travel, capable of flying 463 km on a single charge, and demonstrated its economic advantage with an energy cost of approximately $7 for the trip.

The development comes as transportation companies worldwide explore electric battery-powered aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing capabilities to alleviate urban traffic congestion. Beta Technologies, based in Vermont and founded in 2017, is at the forefront of this emerging sector. Its founder and CEO, Kyle Clark, emphasized that every component of the airplane has been locally developed—from computers and motors to batteries and aircraft distribution systems—underscoring a deep commitment to uncompromised safety and innovation.

This breakthrough follows the Federal Aviation Administration’s recent finalization of comprehensive training and pilot certification rules for air taxis, which the FAA described as “the final piece in the puzzle” to safely introduce electric aircraft into service. In parallel, Beta Technologies has been bolstering its financial resources to support mass production and certification; it recently raised $318 million in equity capital, pushing its total equity funding to over $1 billion.

The successful landing at JFK is seen as a transformative moment for sustainable urban mobility, reinforcing the promise of electric aircraft to reduce both traffic congestion and carbon emissions.