Rethinking Package Delivery

A new electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft has the potential to transform package delivery and alleviate some of the bottlenecks that plague today’s shipping industry. With 36 million packages being shipped daily, streamlining at least a portion of these shipments could help customer and retailers alike.

Alia can take off and land like a helicopter, so it doesn’t require runways to operate. But when traveling point-to-point, it glides like a plane at speeds of 150 to 170 miles per hour. With a cargo volume of 200 cubic feet and a range of 250 miles, it’s well suited for delivering small packages between warehouse facilities or distribution centers more efficiently than trucks or larger cargo planes.

Eventually, the developers may move on to transporting passengers as well, but for the moment they plan to concentrate on securing approvals for cargo shipments only. They are also reportedly working with biotech companies that have an interest in transporting organs for transplant and expect that other applications will emerge between now and the time the first fleet of aircraft is ready for takeoff.