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Air New Zealand concludes four-month trial of battery powered demonstrator
February 18th 2026
Air New Zealand (Air NZ) has flown about 100 flights recording 13,000 kilometres of distance in its four month trial of the ALIA CX300 battery-powered electric aircraft in partnership with BETA Technologies. Read More » The trial commenced on last October 19 when the first flight with the aircraft took off from Tauranga Airport. The demonstrator, registration N401NZ, visited 12 airports across the country’s North and South Islands in the four months, with two Air NZ pilots and eight BETA Technologies pilots taking the aircraft through various flight conditions, including carrying about 20 tonnes of mock cargo. "Flying the aircraft in real conditions across real routes with our people and partners involved has given us a much deeper understanding of what next-generation aircraft could mean for New Zealand aviation," Air NZ general manager of strategy for networks and fleet, Baden Smith, said. "We worked through everything from pilot training and flight planning to energy use, airport interfaces and airspace integration."
