Ecommerce specialists eye cost-saving potential of Beta's Alia electric aircraft
This article was originally published by Alexander Whiteman in the Load Star
ALIA CX300 cargo
E-commerce outfits are in the market for electric aircraft, believing recent developments in the technology and future-proofed models offer opportunities to reduce costs substantially.
Denis Ilin, CEO of e-Smart Logistics, told The Loadstar the company was in active discussions with electric aircraft manufacturer Beta Technologies about purchasing a number of its Alia conventional take-off electric aircraft.
“We are looking to acquire a few, with the idea that we would operate these in mainland European markets as well as the UK,” Mr Ilin added. “We see them being particularly useful for last-mile and mail delivery services, and in the case of the UK geography, with its islands off the coast of Scotland, they offer a more financially viable option than conventional aircraft.”
Together with servicing e-commerce, Mr Ilin noted that Dubai-headquartered e-Smart had been approached by a number of interested parties in the Middle East over cargo options.
With a range of 300-350km, with a payload of up to 560kg of cargo, the Alia is expected to gain efficiency in time, a consequence of improvements in battery technology that will not only improve range, but reduce the space they require, freeing up more load capacity.
Beta’s head of commercial sales, Patrick Buckles, told The Loadstar:
“Ecommerce is the ideal customer – ecommerce alone won’t fill a traditional aircraft, but it can fill one of ours. And on a per kg basis, our revenue model is a far smarter option for ecommerce services to isolated communities – be it islands off the UK coast or the more remote parts of the US – with fuel prices measured in the tens of pounds rather than the hundreds.”
Alongside e-Smart, the likes of Amazon and UPS have spotted the aircraft’s viability for servicing the e-commerce market, both companies having poured funding into it.
Amazon has been particularly keen on the aircraft, seeing it as a key route to meeting its climate pledge. It was one of the main investors in Beta’s 2022 Series’ B funding round, in which it netted $300m-plus in investment, while to-date funding has surpassed $1bn.
And certification processes are moving at pace, the aircraft and its engine going through a simultaneous validation process with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Expectations are that the engine will have gained FAA approval by the end of the year, the aircraft gaining approval by June next year, while the EU’s Aviation Safety Agency process, usually lasting three to six months, is expected to certify by the end of 2026.
However, one source told The Loadstar this process could move even faster, claiming a major European operator was expected to announce a “massive order next week”.
As for e-Smart, Mr Ilin said that following validation, he expected the service offered by his company to be well under way by 2027, noting that the focus for him and his team would move to working on “our ability to expand quickly”.
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