Beta and Surf Air Launch Electric Flight Trials in Hawaii

Beta Technologies and Surf Air Mobility have started flying the all-electric Alia CX300 across Hawaii to test whether battery-powered aircraft can serve the state’s short inter-island cargo and passenger routes. The demonstration campaign, which began Thursday, will run roughly six to eight weeks.

The flights follow the March 12 agreement under which Surf Air Mobility placed a firm order for 25 of the five-passenger Alia, with options for 75 more, securing priority delivery slots for the Los Angeles-based operator.

Hawaiian Airlines, now part of Alaska Air Group, is supporting the campaign by sharing inter-island route data, participating in feasibility assessments, and helping with community engagement. The carrier hosted the launch at its maintenance and cargo facility at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu.

Over the course of the campaign, Beta and Surf Air plan to evaluate aircraft performance in Hawaii’s weather and terrain, as well as direct operating costs, maintenance and servicing needs, battery and energy consumption across representative missions, and the crew training, ground handling, and charging infrastructure that electric service would require.

Surf Air Mobility intends to operate the Alia through its Mokulele Airlines subsidiary once the FAA certifies the airplane, beginning with inter-island cargo and expanding to scheduled and on-demand passenger service. Beta is targeting approval under the FAA’s Part 23 rules by early 2027.

To run the operation, the company plans to use SurfOS, the operating software it introduced in 2024 with Palantir Technologies to handle scheduling, pricing, and fleet management for operators of electric and conventional aircraft.

Beyond the flight trial, Surf Air is preparing a maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility in Hawaii that, once certified, would serve as the factory-authorized service center for the Alia in the state, an arrangement first laid out in the March agreement.

“Connecting the Hawaiian islands with low-cost cargo and passenger service is a great application for electric advanced air mobility,” said Beta founder and CEO Kyle Clark. “These early demonstrations will showcase the utility and economics of the Beta Alia aircraft firsthand to Surf Air and inform future high cadence, sustainable inter-island service.”

Surf Air Mobility CEO Deanna White said the industry’s question has moved from whether electric airplanes can fly to how operators bring them into commercial service. “The data generated through this program will help define the operational, economic, and infrastructure requirements needed to advance the next generation of regional air transportation,” she said.

Based in Vermont, Beta says it has flown its Alia family more than 150,000 nm. Meanwhile, the company also operates more than 100 charging sites. In addition to the Alia CX300 conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) aircraft, Beta is developing an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) model called the Alia A250 that it expects to certify about a year after the CTOL enters service. 

According to Beta, the Alia CX300 has demonstrated a maximum range of 336 nm on a single charge during flight testing. It expects the Alia 250 eVTOL model to offer a range of up to 250 nm.