SkyDrive was recently honored with a visit from Richard Larsen, Consul General at the Consulate-General of the United States in Osaka-Kobe, and Daniel Edwards, Deputy Assistant Secretary at the United States Department of Transport. Both guests, together with other personnel from the Consulate-General of the United States in Osaka-Kobe and regulatory officials, toured the Osakako Vertiport on the shore of Osaka Bay.
The Osakako Vertiport, built by Osaka Metro, is slated to serve as a future hub of SkyDrive’s eVTOL network in the Kansai region. The visitors were welcomed by OsakaMetro, SkyDrive and Soracle, three companies working together to create a viable eVTOL business based around the vertiport. The visitors boarded a mockup of the aircraft and heard from representatives of the three companies about their concrete plans for the future introduction of advanced air mobility.
■ Tour Details
The tour delivered:
An introduction to future vertiport operations: Our visitors toured various vertiport facilities including the passenger terminal, takeoff and landing pad, and hangar, gaining a further understanding of how the facility will operate in the future.
A closer look at the aircraft and related services: SkyDrive presented a mockup of the SKYDRIVE aircraft, while Soracle and Osaka Metro also explained their involvement with the vertiport, allowing our guests an insight into the frontlines of eVTOL business development.
Close collaboration between Japan and the United States of America: The facility tour was also attended by representatives of the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), leading to constructive discussions over future bilateral eVTOL regulations and commercial eVTOL operations.
Vertiports are not simply a site for eVTOLs to takeoff and land — they are important infrastructure hubs for a whole new air mobility industry. Through these discussions with the US Department of Transport, we could reconfirm the importance of international cooperation over these core facilities.
SkyDrive will continue to work together with our partners in Japan and overseas to prepare for the future commercialization of eVTOL flights and accelerate the development of the key infrastructure required for safe and convenient air mobility.