Beta Electric Air Taxi Headed to Utah for Statewide Tour

A pair of state agencies are working with manufacturer Beta Technologies and 47G—a coalition spanning industry, academia, and government that aims to cement Utah as the headquarters for aerospace companies—to conduct demonstration flights of Beta’s Alia electric conventional takeoff and landing (eCTOL).

Partnering with the Utah Department of Transportation’s (UDOT) Aeronautics Division and Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity (GOEO), Beta and 47G will host public, open house demonstrations in the following cities early next week (all times MDT):

Members of the public looking to attend any of these demonstrations can register here. The partners will notify attendees of any weather-related changes or cancellations.

Per Beta and 47G, the flights will represent the first time air taxis have taken off in Utah. Each session will feature live demonstrations and allow attendees to see Alia up close. It seats up to five passengers and has a range of 250 nm.

Last week, Beta completed what it has dubbed the “Beta Barnstorm,” flying its first production-intent Alia across 11 states in VFR, IFR, day, and night conditions. The 3,000 nm journey took it from the company’s flight test center in Plattsburgh, New York, to Santa Monica Municipal Airport (KSMO) in California.

The firm is also developing an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) version of Alia that will not fly next week.

The demonstrations are only the beginning for the partners, who have much bigger plans for electric aircraft in Utah. The expectation is that by the time the Winter Olympic Games come to Salt Lake City in 2034, the state will have become a global hub for eCTOL, eVTOL, and other electric aircraft operations.

The project will start small with steps like flight demonstrations, pilot training, and the selection of electric aircraft routes and charging sites. Beta, which operates a nationwide network of aircraft-agnostic charges, said in January it was preparing to scout those locations.

After receiving FAA certification, other electric models for passenger transport, cargo logistics, and medical missions will begin using those chargers, the partners said. Archer Aviation, for example, purchased some to juice up its Midnight eVTOL air taxi. The state is home to several suppliers for electric aircraft manufacturing. It's also a key market for medical drone delivery firm Zipline, whose buzzing aircraft were featured at the signing for the agreement.

47G in January told FLYING it is anticipating $2 million in UDOT funding that would go toward the installation of electric chargers if Utah Governor Spencer Cox’s budget for fiscal year 2026 is approved.

Cox in a statement said the initiative to bring electric aircraft to the state is part of the “golden age of Utah.”

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