Norway has recently achieved a major milestone in aviation with the successful completion of its first electric aviation test project. This six-month operational flight campaign was conducted by helicopter operator Bristow Group and Vermont-based company Beta Technologies. The campaign saw the all-electric Alia CX300 aircraft fly between Norwegian airports more than 100 times, covering over 8,700 nautical miles and completing the first electric flights between major cities in Norway.
Bristow Group is one of Beta’s first customers, having placed a firm order for five Alia aircraft with an additional 50 options in 2022. The company also has a binding pre-delivery agreement for five Electra EL9 ultra-short aircraft and a pre-order agreement for 50 electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis from Vertical Aerospace.
Executive Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer of Bristow, Dave Stepanek, expressed his pride in contributing to the introduction of electric and sustainable aircraft. He stated, “We’ve learned a great deal, and we look forward to sharing that insight.
The Alia CX300 is designed to produce 75 percent fewer emissions than a Cessna 208, with a lower energy cost per hour of operation. It has a range of 336 nautical miles, a projected cruise speed of 153 knots, and can carry a pilot plus five passengers, or up to 1,240 pounds of cargo. It is powered by Beta’s H500A electric motor and a five-bladed fixed pitch propeller.
Beta is also developing eVTOL and autonomous Alia variants, and has partnered with GE Aerospace to create a hybrid-electric powertrain for future VTOL aircraft.
The goal of the test campaign in Norway was to demonstrate the safe integration of electric aircraft into the country’s highly regulated airspace system. Norway sees 560 daily domestic flights, with about two-thirds of them being 250 miles or less. The New York Times reported in September that 90 percent of new cars sold in Norway were electric, and officials hope to achieve similar adoption for electric aircraft.
According to Simon Newitt, Beta’s head of sales and support, Norway’s geography and regional connectivity make it well-suited for electric aviation. The six-month campaign allowed Beta to validate aircraft performance, charging infrastructure, procedures, and winter operations in one of the most demanding environments in aviation.
The campaign began in August with a sortie at Stavanger Airport (ENZV), with Bristow pilot Jeremy Degagne and Beta pilot Nate Dubie. A Beta-trained Bristow crew then took over the aircraft, conducting regular flights on an 86 nautical mile cargo route between Stavanger and Bergen Airport (ENBR). Beta and Bristow also tested potential customer routes.
The testing involved close cooperation between regulators, airports, operators, and technology providers, with feedback from air traffic controllers giving Bristow confidence that Alia can be integrated into Norway’s airspace with limited additional workload.