SkyDrive is conducting a feasibility study to integrate air taxi flights using its three-seat SD-05 eVTOL aircraft with local railway services in Japan. On July 4, the company signed a cooperation agreement with the Kyushu Railway Company, which operates services on Japan’s third-largest island.
As part of the Japan Rail network, the train company is eager to encourage the growth of complementary businesses and services around its stations. It will work with Japan-based SkyDrive to explore how eVTOL flights could improve connections for local travelers and tourists, including the possibility of developing vertiports next to train stations.
On June 28, SkyDrive signed a memorandum of understanding with Thailand’s Saha Group to explore plans to introduce eVTOL air services to the Southeast Asian country. Saha companies are active in developing industrial estates and also operate a number of private airfields in Thailand.
The partners will focus on air taxi use cases in Sri Racha, Pattaya, and Phuket. Through Saha’s Japanese subsidiary, they will also turn their attention to opportunities in Japan.
In late April, the FAA accepted SkyDrive’s application for type certification of the SD-05 vehicle, which the company aims to introduce to the U.S. market. This process will seek validation of the type certification the manufacturer aims to achieve with Japan’s Civil Aviation Bureau in 2026.