Kanematsu Corporation this week signed a memorandum of understanding with vertiport developer Skyports to support the growth of passenger and cargo eVTOL aircraft operations in Japan. The two companies have been working together since 2020, but have now formalized the alliance to include the drone delivery market in which Skyports is also engaged.
The publicly traded Kanematsu group is a trading company with involvement in industries including aerospace, ground vehicles, electronics, foods, steel, and other materials. The 103-year-old venture has just over 7,000 employees.
Skyports is already partnered with eVTOL aircraft developer Volocopter with plans to develop vertiports in locations such as Singapore, which is viewed as a likely early adopter of air taxi services. The company is also involved in advanced air mobility studies being conducted in Paris and London, with multiple stakeholders.
In the UK, where Skyports is based, the company provides drone delivery services for customers such as the Royal Mail and National Health Service. For example, its unmanned vehicles are used to transport Covid test samples and other medical materials to and from remote locations in Scotland.
