Published on August 29, 2025
SkyDrive Inc. is 1 of nan premier eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) craft manufacturers successful Japan. The institution precocious conducted a bid of objection flights during nan Expo 2025 successful Osaka. The flights betwixt July 31 and August 24, 2025, began astatine a vertiport located astatine nan Expo venue and ascended complete nan picturesque Osaka Bay. The centerpiece of nan objection was nan company’s state-of-the-art aircraft, nan SKYDRIVE Model SD-05. To heighten nationalist engagement, nan institution published onboard videos capturing nan flights.
SkyDrive conducted nan flights successful nan beingness of esteemed guests, specified arsenic Hirofumi Yoshimura, nan politician of Osaka prefecture. Yoshimura, alongside Tomohiro Fukuzawa, nan CEO of SkyDrive, attended nan arena and were keenly watching nan craft operations. This arena is simply a captious advancement toward eVTOL craft commercialization and provides insights into nan imaginable of municipality aerial mobility.
The Successful Flights: A Preview of What nan Future of Aviation Could Look Like
The objection flights were a fewer minutes agelong each and showcased nan SD-05’s vertical takeoff and landing capabilities. Even though nan flights were short, they were rather spectacular, arsenic nan craft flew complete nan waters of Osaka Bay, providing breathtaking views of nan Expo tract and different scenic coastal sites. The released footage from nan flights shows not only nan craft but besides nan picturesque scenery, which powerfully illustrates what nan early of eVTOL flights mightiness entail.
The demonstrations were intended to showcase nan technology, but it was besides a chance for SkyDrive to spotlight nan SD05 and Japan’s Urban Air Mobility future. The promotional merchandise of nan onboard footage from nan flights helps familiarize nan nationalist pinch nan technology, which successful move would let for nan societal acceptance of Urban Transportation successful nan years to come.
SkyDrive’s CEO, Tomohiro Fukuzawa, was visibly delighted by nan successful flights and commented that nan demonstrations are important steps towards nan wide take of eVTOL craft successful municipality settings. eVTOLs are electrical vertical take-off and landing aircraft, and Fukuzawa emphasized that nan abrupt flights are portion of nan larger extremity of eVTOL exertion acceptance successful regular life and municipality aerial travel.
VIP Presence and Official Support for SkyDrive’s Vision
As Japan prepares for nan early of nan nation’s transportation, and successful considering different applicable developments, nan aviation and authorities VIPs coming astatine nan August 18 objection formation position it arsenic critical. Osaka Prefectural Governor Yoshimura is besides reported arsenic being delighted pinch nan formation and gushing pinch astonishment astir nan operations of nan eVTOL aircraft’s controls. He noted that specified precocious exertion is captious for Japan’s early proscription infrastructure.
The VIPs Tanaka Kazunori, Yoshiro Taguchi, and Furuichi Shigeru besides attended nan meeting. Tanaka Tanakori was nan President of nan Diet Members’ Association for nan Promotion of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, and Furuichi Shigeru was nan Director of nan Advanced Air Mobility Office. Their beingness highlighted Japan’s desire to support SkyDrive’s activity successful pioneering nan improvement of precocious aerial mobility (AAM) technologies.
Upcoming September Demonstrations: A Step Toward Widespread Public Acceptance
After demonstrating nan robotic flights astatine Expo 2025, SkyDrive intends to further show them betwixt September 15 to 23, 2025. These flights will beryllium conducted astatine Osakako Airport, a specialized installation operated by Osaka Metro Co. successful nan suburbs of Osaka. The relocation of nan Expo tract astatine Yumeshima to Osakako Vertiport marks a bold advancement successful nan measurement toward integrating eVTOL craft into mundane proscription systems.
The flights originating from Osakako will show nan viability of eVTOL craft successful much populated regions. This is important successful nan nationalist acceptance of nan technology. As pinch each belts successful nan sky, nan Osakako vertiport is besides intended to beryllium nan operational halfway for municipality aerial mobility missions, frankincense serving arsenic a trial halfway for further developments arsenic SkyDrive moves toward nan eventual commercialization of its aircraft.
SkyDrive is providing complimentary entree to nan formation viewing area, though unreality viewing spaces are highly constricted and will beryllium bookable only by reservation. This effort is portion of nan company’s nationalist engagement strategy aimed astatine nan wide nationalist to bring eVTOL exertion to mundane use.
SkyDrive’s Future Plans: Commercializing eVTOL Aircraft successful Japan
The eVTOL craft type support certification is nan main extremity of nan efforts undertaken by SkyDrive. It will alteration easiness of usage for these craft commercially. The institution is collaborating pinch Japan’s civilian aviation authorities, arsenic good arsenic different world partners, for nan early commercialization of SKYDRIVE operations. The projected commencement of operations is 2028, pinch aerial taxi and scenic flights servicing nan Morinomiya area of Osaka, pinch consequent description planned to connection flights complete nan scenic regions successful and astir Beppu Bay successful Kyushu.
SkyDrive useful pinch Osaka Metro, nan usability of nan subway strategy successful Osaka, to incorporated eVTOL flights into nan municipality carrier model of nan city. This partnership, on pinch nan collaboration pinch JR Kyushu, a awesome supplier of obstruction services, will further beforehand SkyDrive’s imagination to grow scenic and aerial taxi services successful Japan.
Conclusion: Transforming nan Urban Transportation
SkyDrive’s objection flights astatine Expo 2025 Osaka people a important milestone successful nan Japanese and world municipality aerial mobility industry. With nan further improvement and expanding accessibility of eVTOL technology, nan method of moving wrong and betwixt cities will beryllium transformed into a overmuch faster and much businesslike strategy than immoderate crushed transportation.
SkyDrive’s progressive efforts towards obtaining eVTOL certification, on pinch partnerships pinch cardinal infrastructure stakeholders for illustration Osaka Metro and JR Kyushu, spot nan institution successful a competitory position to beryllium a leader successful this fast-developing domain. Furthermore, nan upcoming objection flights successful September will beryllium a captious accomplishment successful SkyDrive’s imagination of incorporating eVTOL craft into regular municipality travel, enabling nan improvement of precocious aerial mobility infrastructure.