SLI Partner, BETA, Hosts U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy to Fly Electric Aircraft

[June 29, 2026] - Proud to share news from BETA Technologies, a key partner of our aerospace subsidiary, SLI. Last month, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy became the first U.S. Transportation Secretary to fly in an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL). Secretary Duffy's historic flight, which marks an important milestone in the development of these next generation aircraft, took place at BETA's headquarters in Vermont.

SLI holds orders for both BETA's eVTOL and eCTOL (conventional take-off and landing) aircraft, which are sustainable, high-performance electric aircraft. BETA is also developing a suite of enabling technologies that include the necessary charging infrastructure being rolled out nationwide.

Previously, Secretary Duffy and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) unveiled a new pilot program (eIPP) to begin testing advanced air mobility vehicles and their real-world applications in the field to help unlock the future of flight.

SLI is proud to work with BETA to support the uptake of these dynamic aircraft by owning and leasing them to operators around the world.

In addition to advanced air mobility assets, SLI also invests in space assets, including four geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites on order and 13 owned ground stations, as well as other traditional aviation assets.

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