First FAA certificate letting an eVTOL carry non-crew passengers
2026-10-21The FAA issued BETA Technologies a special airworthiness certificate for market surveys covering the Alia A250, announced by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on 21 Oct 2026 — the first for an electric vertical-takeoff aircraft. Issued under Part 21, it lets BETA fly the aircraft for prospective operators and customers, and carry them, within FAA limitations, ahead of type certification. It does not permit commercial or fare-paying operations. BETA flew the A250 on 20 Oct from Plattsburgh, New York, to Burlington, Vermont (~34 nmi, 20 min), taking off and landing vertically with wing-borne cruise; it had earlier received the same kind of certificate for its conventional-takeoff CX300. This is the step between company test flights and service — people who are not crew aboard an uncertified eVTOL — not the service itself.
