Montgomery Regional Airport (MGM) has partnered with BETA Technologies, an electric aerospace company based in Burlington, Vermont, to install the first-ever electric aircraft charging station in the state of Alabama. Alabama Power also served as a partner to bring these chargers online for public access.
The BETA-designed charging stations are multimodal and interoperable, capable of powering electric aircraft and ground vehicles alike. The MGM installations include one Level 3 Fast-Charger located inside the fence (airside), primarily for use by electric aircraft, and one Level 2 Charger located outside the fence (carside), primarily for use by public EVs. With these additions, Montgomery Regional is well-positioned to support the electric transportation future, which is currently poised to grow the economy and associated job opportunities.
“The Montgomery Regional Airport is thrilled to welcome the dawn of a cleaner and more sustainable era in aviation with the installation of our new electric aircraft charger – a first for the state of Alabama,” said Wade A. Davis, MGM Executive Director. “With the commissioning of our state-of-the-art electric aircraft charger, we are not only energizing the spirit of innovation but also maintaining a commitment to be environmentally responsible.”
To celebrate this milestone, MGM held a commissioning event on Monday, February 5, with representatives from MGM, BETA, Alabama Power, ALDOT, and state government in attendance to deliver remarks. BETA also flew its all-electric ALIA aircraft into MGM to receive the inaugural airside charge. The aircraft — one of two configurations BETA is currently developing and certifying with the FAA — arrived in Alabama following a months-long deployment with the U.S. Air Force at Duke Field in Florida.
“As we move closer to getting electric aircraft into operation, it is critical that we are building charging infrastructure where our customers need it,” said Blain Newton, BETA’s Chief Operations Officer. “Montgomery marks the first charger in Alabama as we continue to deploy our chargers in key markets that will help accelerate connectivity among regional and rural communities.”
This new charge site in Alabama is part of a growing national network of electric infrastructure that BETA is building out across the U.S. To date, BETA has brought chargers online at 17 site locations from Vermont to Arkansas and Florida, with more than 55 additional sites in development for public and private use by commercial, military, and medical entities.
