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Looking like a hybrid drone, helicopter and boat, the “Alia” plane sat shiny and imposing on the Beta Technologies factory floor. If this is the future of aviation, it wasn’t as outrageously Jetsons-themed as my imagination had drawn it, but it looked curious enough to catch the eye and its sleek, modern lines were attractive. Air New Zealand’s logo is large on either side of this battery-powered aircraft, and with good reason.
The first Alia operating in Air New Zealand’s iconic black and white livery is expected to be operational mid-2026, pending regulatory approvals. It’s those same regulations that helped shape the aircraft design. Initial plans to give the plane vertical take-off capability — like a drone — were ditched in favour of a more traditional fixed-wing design.
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