Atlantic Aviation, a fixed-base operator (FBO) and aviation services provider, and BETA Technologies, Inc. (BETA), an electric aerospace company, are collaborating to install BETA’s electric charging stations at several of Atlantic’s airport locations across the East and Gulf Coasts. The two have already installed one multimodal, interoperable charger – at Elmira Regional Airport – and have signed host site agreements (HSAs) for three additional locations, with more sites in the works.
“BETA’s chargers are designed to be multimodal and interoperable,” said the companies in a press release. “They utilize a standard that is compatible with BETA’s own all-electric ALIA aircraft and other top original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) across the industry, as well as electric ground vehicles, offering a single solution for ground- and air-based electric transportation alike. As airports and the broader transportation sector continue to transition to electric and sustainable alternatives, this technology provides an important foundation for integrated operations.
The parties have infrastructure in the ground or HSAs in place for Birmingham International Airport (BHM), Elmira Regional Airport (ELM), Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport (JAN), and Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport (BAF), and are actively working with additional airport authorities to continue their collaborative expansion, said the press release. These Atlantic sites will join BETA’s growing network of charging stations across the U.S. The company has brought its multimodal and interoperable chargers online at 17 locations, with another 55 sites in the permitting or construction process.
In addition to implementing future-focused infrastructure that will enable advanced air mobility (AAM) in key regional markets along the East and Gulf Coasts, Atlantic and BETA have developed a model approach for the industry. With this agreement, they have created a template for FBO OEM relationships that will expedite the execution of HSAs moving forward, allowing for expanded infrastructure implementation as the industry readies itself for projected 2025 AAM operations.
The existing network, which spans from Vermont to Arkansas and Florida, includes the Department of Defense’s first-ever electric aircraft charger installed at Duke Field, Eglin Air Force Base, where BETA’s ALIA aircraft was deployed for several months. Many of these sites have been tested first-hand by BETA’s all-electric ALIA aircraft as it has traveled from Burlington, Vermont to Bentonville, Arkansas, Louisville, Kentucky, and Eglin, Florida, respectively.
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(Image: BETA Technologies, Inc)