A new vertiport consortium led by eVOL developers SkyDrive hopes to make commercial air taxi services a reality in Japan. With partners including Osaka Metro Company, Soracle, and Marubeni Corporation, SkyDrive plan to launch their aircraft in the Kansai prefecture plan in 2028.
The ambition aligns with the Kansai government’s existing target of deploying 100 eVTOL craft by 2035. 146 existing heliports are being considered for redevelopment, alongside the consortium’s proposed vertiport project. Osaka Metro are long-term partners of SkyDrive, supporting the first public flight demonstration of its SD-05 prototype in 2024.
The eVTOL race is heating up across APAC. China has set ambitious targets in air taxi integration, with the city of Shanghai launching a strategy to become the world’s eVTOL capital by launching 500 aircraft by 2028. Chinese startup EHang are also leaders in autonomous transport, executing their first urban pilotless flights in Bangkok.
Meanwhile, South Korea are looking to deploy eVTOLs in the near future. An agreement between Korean Air and Californian advanced air mobility (AAM) firm Archer gives the airline the option to buy up to 100 of the company’s flagship Midnight aircraft. March 2026 also saw them sign an additional agreement with vertiport developers Skyports to establish robust infrastructure for eVTOLs alongside Korean Air’s existing operations.
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