In a move that recalls a pivotal period in the early decades of aviation, Beta Technologies is conducting demonstration flights with U.K. regional airline Loganair to haul Scotland’s Royal Mail.
The flights are intended to show how Royal Mail could integrate electric aircraft into its daily flight schedule, especially for mail delivery to islands and other remote places around the country.
Electric Exposure
For Beta, the collaboration boosts exposure of its aircraft to the public as part of a broad, yearslong testing program that includes operations in New Zealand, Norway, and elsewhere. It took a long time for people to embrace air transport when airplanes were new, less-developed and, arguably, dangerous.
Today a lack of familiarity has had a similar effect on electric airplanes, but the company said it can overcome such obstacles as electric aircraft become mainstream.
“This is a landmark day for European aviation, and in-particular for Scotland’s airline, Loganair,” said Loganair CEO Luke Farajallah. “We are not talking about concepts, prototypes, or distant ambition. This is a real tangible program of flying across our network, which will provide invaluable data on how an electric aircraft could perform in a real commercial environment.”
Rich Airmail History
The demonstration flights follow routes with stops in Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen, Inverness, Wick, and Orkney. The routes are similar to those flown by the country’s first airmail pilots including Captain Ted Fresson, who flew the inaugural mail run and early missions in 1934 de Havilland Dragon and Dragon Rapide aircraft.
Royal Mail is the only mail company that delivers to all 32 million U.K. addresses each day—including the most remote Scottish communities. The effort requires a complex network of road, sea, and air transport. Loganair, which has 60 years of experience carrying the mail, has strong connections with parts of Scotland that depend on airborne delivery service.
Beta’s Alia is an all-electric aircraft that operates conventionally from runways, so it can fit easily into the mail system’s airport network. The aircraft is designed to carry passengers or freight and recharges in 20-40 minutes with Beta’s fast charger. It has a range of 336 nm and a payload of more than 1,200 pounds.
“Scotland’s geography makes it one of the most compelling environments for electric aviation anywhere in the world—short routes, existing infrastructure, and communities that have depended on reliable air connections for generations,” said Simon Newitt, head of sales and support at Beta. “Flying real postal routes alongside an operator with Loganair’s experience is exactly how you validate this technology. We’re proud to be working with partners like Loganair and Royal Mail, who recognize that keeping these communities connected and doing it sustainably are not competing priorities.”