WEBWIRE – Friday, December 8, 2023
- AirNewZealand selects BETAs ALIA CTOL as its first next generation aircraft
- The electric aircraft has been purchased to meet the airlines goal of flying a commercial demonstrator by 2026
- NZ Post announced as cargo partner for commercial demonstrator
- Announcement in early 2024 revealing the two frontrunner airports to be home to next generation aircraft
Big News! AirNewZealand has just announced the ALIA as the airlines first purchase of a next generation aircraft in its Mission Next Gen Aircraft programme.
Designed by electric aerospace company BETA Technologies, the battery-powered all-electric aircraft is expected to join AirNewZealands fleet in 2026. AirNewZealand is purchasing the conventional take-off and landing version of the ALIA.
After an 18-month evaluation period, AirNewZealand has finally selected the ALIA. Through the airlines Mission Next Gen Aircraft programme, it received ideas and insights from 30 organizations, and has now chosen four partners to work closely with on its goal of launching commercial flights using next generation aircraft in 2026. BETAs ALIA is the first commercial order in the programme.
AirNewZealand will initially operate the aircraft as a cargo only service in partnership with New Zealand Post, on a route being selected through an expressions of interest (EOI) process with airports across Aotearoa.
This purchase cements AirNewZealands commitment to flying lower-emissions aircraft in New Zealand. According to AirNewZealand Chief Executive Officer Greg Foran, “This is a small but important step in a much larger journey for AirNewZealand. There is a lot of work ahead of us, but we are incredibly committed, and this purchase marks a new chapter for the airline.”
Decarbonising aviation isnt easy, and we have a lot of work to do. We need to accelerate the pace of change in the technology, infrastructure, operations and regulation.”
While this aircraft will add to, not replace our existing fleet, it is a catalyst for that change. By flying the ALIA, we hope to advance our knowledge and the transformation needed in the aviation system in Aotearoa for us to fly larger, fleet replacing, next generation aircraft from 2030.”
BETA Chief Executive Officer Kyle Clark says he applauds AirNewZealands approach to decarbonising aviation. “AirNewZealand is hyper focused on bringing technologies to scale as quickly as possible, both to meet its own ambitions to decarbonise and to change the broader aviation landscape. We are gratified by the airlines confidence in our technology as a solution that will meet their operational needs and look forward to continuing to work hand-in-hand as we bring the ALIA to market for 2026.
Watch video on YouTube here or download all media assets here.
Note to editors:
- AirNewZealand will fly the conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) version of the ALIA.