Metro Aviation has placed an order for up to 20 Alia eVTOL aircraft manufactured by electric aerospace company Beta Technologies. Metro plans to integrate Beta's Alia VTOL into its existing network of air medical operations to carry out both inter-hospital and scene transports.

Metro currently operates 170 aircraft for 42 programmes across 27 states in the US. Beta's Alia VTOL will provide another platform to that portfolio, and with its high reliability, low cost and vertical capabilities, it will offer increased mobility and access to rural and urban geographies with zero operational emissions.

Metro has been in conversation with various eVTOL developers over the past several years, but Beta, with its approach and genuine interest in an operator's perspective, was the one to capture Metro's attention.

“We are all about the relationships we have with our partners,” says Metro's vice president and co-owner, Todd Stanberry. “Yes, we believe Beta has the superior product in the eVTOL space, and it is taking the right approach to entering the market, but most importantly, it genuinely cares about our opinion and everyone checks their ego at the door. This made the decision easy for Metro. We are aligned with Beta in so many ways, from people, to safety, to quality, and we are thrilled about this new partnership.”

“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,” adds Kyle Clark, Beta's founder and CEO. “Electric aviation brings reliability at a lower cost, which makes it a strong value proposition for urgent transport like hospital transfers and emergency response.”

Metro Aviation equipped its entire fleet with night vision goggles and continuously invests in safety technologies, including full-motion simulators. Serving top-tier medical programmes, Metro operates in some of the most challenging environments, from remote rural areas to mountainous regions with varying elevations.

Beta has begun production of its all-electric aircraft, including the Alia VTOL and its conventional counterpart, the Alia CTOL. Both aircraft optimise for payload and range, fit for regional or intra-city transport with the ability to carry up to 1,250lbs of payload or five passengers and a pilot, depending on the configuration. Beta's aircraft have landed at more than 90 airports, completed deployments with the US Air Force and completed the industry's first full, manned transition in a production-intent vehicle. In addition to its aircraft, Beta is also rolling out an electric charging network across the US. Today, there are 35 Beta chargers online along the East, West and Gulf Coasts, and 50 additional sites are in development.

The company is producing these aircraft and chargers in its nearly 200,000 square foot production facility in Vermont. These aircraft and chargers will be delivered to Beta's growing base of customers, which includes global operators across cargo and logistics, medical, defence and passenger applications, including UPS, Air New Zealand, United Therapeutics, Bristow, Blade, LCI, Helijet, the Department of Defense and now Metro Aviation.