e-Smart Group, an alliance created in October 2025 in the Netherlands, has launched the e-Smart programme to introduce an electric cargo aircraft. The new entity was founded to integrate sales expertise, freight management and digital technologies applied to air logistics. It is led by Jacques Heeremans, founder of Ias Inter Aviation Services, Stan Wraight, founder of Sasi World, and Denis Ilin, co-founder of e-smartlogistics.com, who head the group under the motto “Knowledge and Innovation”. Ias, active since 1987, operates as a general sales agent and charter service provider with more than thirty years in the sector.
The group’s main operational step is the order, formalised with a deposit in November 2025 during the Dubai Airshow, for twenty Alia Cx300 electric aircraft produced by US-based Beta Technologies. The purchase marks e-Smart Avia’s entry into the electric regional cargo segment and defines the future fleet with which the operator plans to start services in 2027.
The Alia Cx300 is a fully electric aircraft with conventional take-off and landing, designed by the Vermont-based company. Technical specifications released by the manufacturer indicate a payload of up to 560 kilograms, a range between 336 and 400 kilometres and a cruising speed of around 250 kilometres per hour. It has a wingspan of 15 metres and requires between 40 and 60 minutes for a full recharge. According to Beta Technologies, the aircraft offers a 75% reduction in emissions compared with the Cessna 208 Caravan, combined with 30% lower operating costs. Its energy efficiency is highlighted by an operating metric: for a 45-minute flight, the cost of electricity is around 7 dollars (about 6.5 euros), compared with several hundred dollars in fuel for an aircraft with similar capacity.
The e-Smart alliance plans to use the future fleet within the network of the new operator e-Smart Avia, with a focus on express parcels, e-commerce and high-value goods. The aim is to create a virtual integrator capable of coordinating air transport, customs services and first- and last-mile activities through local providers. The group also notes the potential to connect with Customs Authorities in 120 countries, a feature intended to strengthen document management and shipment tracking.
Adoption of the Cx300 comes as Beta Technologies has already begun extensive test flights in Europe and the United States. The aircraft has completed nearly 7,000 kilometres on a European tour covering Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Denmark and Norway. In the Scandinavian country, a cargo route was simulated between Stavanger and Bergen, covering 99 miles in 55 minutes. On the regulatory front, FAA certification is expected in 2026, while EASA certification is anticipated by the end of the same year; the charging systems have already received UL and CE certifications, which are essential for launching the supporting infrastructure network.
The main competitive advantage highlighted by the manufacturer concerns the reduction in operating costs associated with electric power and the ability to operate at smaller airports with lower noise impact compared with traditional aircraft. The rapid charging cycle also enables intensive utilisation, with multi-flight daily schedules. Beta Technologies lists a diverse customer portfolio including UPS, Air New Zealand, Republic Airways, United Therapeutics, Bristow Group and the United States Department of Defense; in July 2025, SLI of the Libra Group also placed an order for 25 units of the Cx300.
The development of a dedicated charging network is one of the structural elements for scaling operations. Beta Technologies has installed more than 50 stations in the United States and is expanding in Europe and Canada. The e-Smart Avia initiative therefore enters a market shaped by rising demand driven by e-commerce and by the search for more sustainable solutions in short-range cargo transport, a segment in which electric aircraft operate most effectively on routes shorter than 400 kilometres.
