Helijet has plans to electrify its fleet to become the first Canadian air carrier to provide flights for passengers and cargo using electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

It was a big enough announcement to have the premier show up last week (Tuesday) at Helijet’s offices in James Bay.

“What you heard from [Helijet CEO Danny Sitnam] today is that he is keeping British Columbia at the forefront of innovation, reducing pollution, showing the way forward, and doing it in a way that is cost-effective and provides even better benefits for the public through medical deliveries and transportation,” David Eby said.

“It’s so exciting.”

Helijet has placed an order with manufacturer BETA Technologies, out of Burlington, Vt. for four craft called the ALIA eVTOL. 

Helijet has plans to electrify its fleet to become the first Canadian air carrier to provide flights for passengers and cargo using electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

It was a big enough announcement to have the premier show up last week (Tuesday) at Helijet’s offices in James Bay.

“What you heard from [Helijet CEO Danny Sitnam] today is that he is keeping British Columbia at the forefront of innovation, reducing pollution, showing the way forward, and doing it in a way that is cost-effective and provides even better benefits for the public through medical deliveries and transportation,” David Eby said.

“It’s so exciting.”

Helijet has placed an order with manufacturer BETA Technologies, out of Burlington, Vt. for four craft called the ALIA eVTOL. 

The aircraft’s straight up-and-down, takeoff-and-landing capability could increase Helijet’s footprint as a provider of emergency response, air ambulance and organ transfer services in the Lower Mainland, the company said on its website.

The ALIA eVTOL holds five passengers plus a pilot and currently is in advanced flight standards development. It is expected to “pass regulatory certification in 2026”, and should be cleared for takeoff shortly afterward, according to a Helijet release.

BETA says the futuristic craft is 10 times quieter than the current model Helijet uses, meaning residents in James Bay, home to the city’s heliport, may no longer have to hear the loud chopping, blade-slap noise, or chuff.

It's also a cheaper bird to keep in the air, according to BETA Sales Director Skye Carapetya.

“In addition to its net-zero emissions, the electric, simple design of our aircraft also offers more reliability and lower cost,” he said. 

Meantime, planely speaking, Harbour Air for years has been looking to ditch fuel and run on electricity. The Richmond-based company had its own Wilbur and Orville moment just before Christmas 20198, when it accomplished history’s first takeoff and landing of a commercial aircraft propelled exclusively by a battery-powered electric motor.

Last April, HarbourAir showed off a prototype of its new electronic seaplane—the eBeaver—in its first Victoria Harbour appearance. 

But the airline has since hit some snags, including slowdowns in the supply chain and the slowness of the regulatory process. 

“Fundamentally, the technology has been outpacing the regulators,” the company writes on its website.