Aero-Med Operator Places Order For ALIA eVTOLs

Beta Technologies announced yesterday that air medical aircraft operator Metro Aviation has placed a deposit-backed order (deposit amount not specified) for up to 20 of Beta’s developmental ALIA vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft. Currently operating 170 aircraft as part of 42 separate air medical programs over 27 states, Metro said it plans to incorporate the ALIA aircraft into its existing network “to ultimately carry out both inter-hospital and scene transports.”

Metro V-P and co-owner, Todd Stanberry, said,  “Yes, we believe Beta has the superior product in the [electronic] VTOL space, and they are taking the right approach to entering the market. We are aligned with Beta in so many ways, from people, to safety, to quality.”

Beta founder and CEO Kyle Clark, said, “We originally designed ALIA with organ and tissue transport in mind, so we are excited to complement that mission with Metro and its family of healthcare providers across the country. Electric aviation brings reliability at a lower cost, which makes it a strong value proposition for urgent transport like hospital transfers and emergency response.”