Helijet has long operated from Victoria’s Breakwater district, to offer fast travel between downtown Vancouver and the capital as well as several destinations throughout the island.
On Tuesday, October 31st, Premier David Eby joined Helijet President and CEO Danny Sitnam to announce the company will be acquiring a handful of innovative and futuristic aircrafts.
The ALIA eVTOL aircraft, which are made by Vermont-based BETA Technologies, are a new type of aircraft that resembles a drone, mixed with a helicopter and an airplane that utilizes an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) system.
Helijet has committed to buying several of these ALIA eVTOL aircrafts which will provide quieter, lower cost and sustainable air transportation for travelers in southwestern BC and the Pacific Northwest as a whole.
These new aircrafts could also tremendously aid in Helijet’s capability to aid in an emergency response situation, air ambulance and organ transfer services as well as support rural and remote communities in having access to air services.
“We designed ALIA to be a reliable, efficient, and sustainable aircraft option that could carry out a variety of missions in all types of geographies, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with Helijet to bring this next-generation, net-zero technology to Canadian commuters and travelers,” said Kyle Clark, BETA’s Founder and CEO.
“Between our growing engineering hub in Montreal, our first cross-border flight to the region earlier this year, and the support we’ve received from the government and regulators across Canada, we look forward to continuing to grow our presence in the country. To be able to do that in partnership with the foremost operator in British Columbia is very exciting.”
The ALIA aircrafts can carry a pilot as well as five passengers and should be ready for commercial and private use by 2026, once some final testing is completed.
“This provincial government recognizes the potential of advanced air mobility to decarbonize the aviation sector, improve regional connectivity, improve emergency response times and introduce new manufacturing opportunities in our province,” said Premier Eby.
He stated that he is excited BC can be a part of the story of making air travel more green.
