SkyDrive Plans Aeromedical eVTOL Flights in Taiwan's Penghu Islands

Emergency air medical services in Taiwan’s Penghu islands could start using SkyDrive’s electric air taxi to transport patients and doctors around the archipelago as early as 2028. As part of an expanded partnership agreement announced on May 8, Taiwanese drone developer 7A Drones has placed a pre-order for up to 10 of SkyDrive’s three-seat SD-05 eVTOL aircraft.

SkyDrive, a Japanese eVTOL aircraft manufacturer, has been collaborating with Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (IRTI) and 7A Drones since March 2024 to explore use cases for eVTOL aircraft in Taiwan as well as Japan. Now the partners have decided to focus on emergency medical services in and around Penghu, starting with Magong, its largest island.

The Penghu archipelago consists of about 90 islands and islets between Taiwan and China in the Taiwan Strait. With only three airports—Penghu Airport (RCQC), Qimei Airport (RCCM), and Wang-an Airport (RCWA)—Penghu offers several ferry routes between the larger islands and mainland Taiwan. Its emergency air medical services rely on helicopters operated by local rescue companies and the National Airborne Service Corps. 

“Taiwan is home to numerous remote islands which face urgent, critical issues, including not only the transportation of daily necessities and medical supplies but also the establishment of a rapid emergency medical transport system for doctors and patients,” said 7A Drones CEO Hsin-Sheng Hsu. “We aim to build an environment where every citizen in Taiwan can access appropriate medical services regardless of geographic constraints.”

The partners will start by developing the infrastructure needed to dispatch physicians within a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) radius of Penghu’s main island, where its only two hospitals are located, according to SkyDrive. For example, an initial route will connect one of the hospitals in Magong City to Hujing, an islet to the southwest also known as Table Island (and recently nicknamed “Cat Island” thanks to a booming feline population and efforts to increase tourism). 

According to SkyDrive, the eVTOL infrastructure it is developing for emergency air medical services in Penghu will provide “a foundational platform” for other types of eVTOL businesses in Taiwan, including urban air taxi services and scenic flights for tourists. The company noted that its collaboration with 7A Drones and IRTI is part of the Taiwanese government’s broader strategy on advanced air mobility. 

SkyDrive’s SD-05 eVTOL aircraft is designed to carry two passengers plus one pilot on short flights of 15 to 40 kilometers at a cruising speed of 100 kph (54 knots). The company plans to certify the aircraft for commercial air taxi operations in Japan as well as in the U.S., where it has established a subsidiary in South Carolina. The Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) issued SkyDrive its G-1 certification basis documentation in February.