Alaska-based cargo operator Ryan Air has signed a deposit-backed agreement to add Beta Technologies’s CX300 electric aircraft to its fleet. The deal announced on September 24 does not specify how many of the conventional takeoff and landing models the carrier will buy, but does include up to 10 of the U.S. manufacturer’s electric Charge Cubes.
Ryan Air currently operates a mixed fleet of turboprop aircraft including the Cessna 207 and 208 models, as well as the Pilatus PC-12, the Casa 212, and the Saab 340. Operating from eight bases, the family-run business supports 73 remote communities across Alaska, including over tribes of native Americans, that depend on air, water or snowmobile transportation for critical supplies.
The operator provides support for the Alaska Health service, as well as for regional and village corporations, and partners including FedEx, UPS and the U.S. Postal Service. Flying in and out of locations across the state, Ryan Air’s network is larger than the U.S. West Coast.
“Ryan Air’s mission has always been to raise the quality of life for the people we serve,” said the airline’s president Lee Ryan. “For more than a century, our family has been involved in carrying the mail, and since 1953 we have operated aircraft to connect Alaska’s most remote communities. From the dog team era to the jet age, from visual navigation and LORAN to NextGen ADS-B and GPS, we’ve embraced each wave of progress to better serve our state. Now, as we enter the advanced air mobility era with Beta, we are excited to continue that tradition — delivering safety, innovation, and efficient technology to Alaska and beyond.”
According to Beta, the CX300 can carry 1,250 pounds of freight or five passengers. The Vermont-based manufacturer is aiming to complete FAA type certification in 2026, and is also developing an eVTOL model called the Alia 250. Other prospective operators of the Beta aircraft including Bristow, Republic Airways, United Therapeutics, UPS and Air New Zealand.