Saturday, July 4, 2026
Beta and Surf Air launch electric aircraft trial in Hawaii
Beta Technologies and Surf Air Mobility, with Hawaiian Airlines supporting evaluation activities, launched a multi-week electric aviation demonstration program in Hawaii announced June 26 and running six to eight weeks. The campaign flies Beta's all-electric ALIA CTOL aircraft - a single-pilot fixed-wing design rated for up to five passengers, a 387-mile range and sub-one-hour charging - to gather data on performance, operating costs, maintenance, battery use and ground handling across representative interisland missions. The program is aimed at assessing the feasibility of electric aircraft for Hawaii's short inter-island passenger and cargo routes.