Air New Zealand’s (ANZ) first electric aircraft has officially taken flight as the BETA ALIA CX300 took its first test flight from Tauranga Airport last week.
The aircraft, which was manufactured in the United States by BETA Technologies, arrived in New Zealand earlier this month to a sunrise ceremony in Tauranga. It later flew to Hamilton Airport before moving to Wellington Airport for two months from December.
The aircraft has been leased by Air New Zealand as part of a four-month-long technical demonstrator programme that seeks to enable the airline, as well as partners and regulators, to learn how the aircraft will perform in regional conditions.
Baden Smith, Air New Zealand's General Manager - Fleet, Networks and Strategy, said:New Zealand has a proud history of aviation innovation and pushing for progress, whether it's Richard Pearse who first opened the skies with flying machines, to the era of TEAL flying boats, through to engineers and aviators who connected us to the world.
It's incredibly special to partner with a global innovator like BETA to ensure New Zealand is a part of shaping what the future of flight might look like both here and around the world. We know aviation will keep changing - it always has. This is a small, cautious step to learn and be part of that change.
The aircraft’s time in Hamilton will see it undergo a series of flights across a range of different conditions and altitudes.
Built for real-world flight; the aircraft’s conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) configuration aims to be a good fit for existing airport infrastructure, with its battery-electric propulsion touting near-silent operation.
The aircraft can accommodate up to two crew members and up to 5.6 cubic metres of cargo, and an travel for up to 215 nautical miles (398 kilometres).
