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Beta Technologies to invest $41M into expanded facility at Plattsburgh International Airport

Electric aerospace manufacturer Beta Technologies is expanding its footprint with the announcement of a new US$41 million addition to its facility at the Plattsburgh International Airport in Plattsburgh, N.Y.

In a news release, Beta officials said the company will develop a new, upgraded facility to serve as the manufacturing and final assembly hub for its all-electric aircraft.

The company will also use the new facility as the permanent test flight and aircraft delivery centre for its operations in the region.

As part of the agreement to expand operations at Plattsburgh International Airport, Beta says it has committed to creating 85 full time jobs in exchange for a US$20 million grant awarded via Clinton County from Empire State Development’s Regional Economic and Community Assistance Program.

For the past five years, Beta says, it flight test centre at Plattsburgh International Airport has served as the “point of origin” for most of its technologies. Its longest recorded flight of an electric aircraft spanned 336 nautical miles, from Jamestown to Plattsburgh. Beta says it has secured firm orders from such global operators as UPS, United Therapeutics, Bristow, LCI, Blade, and Helijet, and has multiphase contracts with the U.S. Air Force and Army.

Beta says its all-electric aircraft generates zero operational emissions, can be recharged in under an hour with Beta chargers, and have been designed to optimize payload capacity and range. Beta says it’s creating a nation-wide electric charging network that is also compatible with electric vehicles.