新西兰航空与 BETA Technologies 推出首个“按小时计费”维护计划

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Air New Zealand and BETA Technologies, a U.S.-based aerospace company, have deepened their partnership, launching the Advanced Air Mobility industry’s first Energy by the Hour (EBH) Program.

This initial testbed program includes battery replacement, maintenance and service needs, representing a milestone in the commercialization and operational support of electric aviation.

The EBH Program will be trialed on Air New Zealand’s tech demonstrator ALIA CTOL aircraft, which is scheduled to be delivered later this fall — and subsequently applied to Air New Zealand’s additional BETA aircraft, which are scheduled to enter service in the coming years.

Under this program, BETA will provide the airline with comprehensive battery management services, including performance monitoring, predictive maintenance, pack replacement and end-of-life recycling.

This program, which will be applied at a fixed hourly rate based on the utilization of the aircraft, is designed to ensure predictability of operating cost while maximizing battery safety, cycle life and uptime of the aircraft.

“We recognize that the needs of operators extend well beyond taking delivery of an aircraft,” said Shawn Hall, BETA’s chief revenue officer.

“We developed a program to ensure our customers receive the same type of predictable maintenance cost benefits they are accustomed to with traditional power by the hour programs, but applied to batteries. More than five years of real-world flying experience and a world-class battery development facility have given us high confidence in our battery performance. We look forward to passing that along to our customers and putting this program into effect alongside Air New Zealand as they begin flying one of our aircraft later this year.”

“This is another important milestone in Air New Zealand’s relationship with BETA Technologies,” said Baden Smith, Air New Zealand’s general manager of strategy, networks and fleet.

“We are investing in the BETA CX300 to drive industry change in New Zealand as part of our commitment to decarbonizing our airline. Innovation and partnership is key to this work, and our engagement with BETA is based on exactly these principles.”

The deployment of this EBH program builds on a strong foundation of partnership between Air New Zealand and BETA, which began in 2021 with the addition of ALIA to Air New Zealand’s Mission Next Gen Aircraft Program.

Following an 18-month period of due diligence and a down-selection process from 30 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), Air New Zealand announced in 2023 that BETA’s ALIA CTOL would be its first purchase of a next-generation aircraft.

In the years since, the partners have identified initial route possibilities and begun investing in the key elements of an AAM ecosystem — including charging infrastructure, additional aircraft and training assets.

Once the tech demonstrator is delivered later this year, Air New Zealand will undergo four months of early familiarization practices across the company — including the pilot and operational teams, as well as the route planning and ground support teams.

The integration of this EBH program will facilitate the operational solutions and learnings for both partners during this time, refining it ahead of commercial deployments.

This press release was prepared and distributed by BETA Technologies.

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