SkyDrive Inc. ha signed a new partnership agreement with West Nippon Expressway Company (NEXCO West). Under the agreement, both parties will investigate the commercial feasibility of advanced air mobility eVTOL services based in expressway parking and service areas.
SkyDrive is aiming to launch commercial operations in 2028. Meanwhile, NEXCO West’s MOVE!2030 mid-term management plan commits to working resolve the issues that affect communities through active involvement in new areas of business.
“SkyDrive’s ties with NEXCO West began when research into the future potential of air mobility led us to focus on the service and parking areas as potential sites for vertiports,” the eVTOL manufacturer said. “With service areas and parking areas accessible at intervals of between 10 and 30 kilometres, vertiports within these facilities would allow the next generation of air mobility technology to create added value and contribute to the regional development of the communities running alongside the expressway network.”
The partnership will now investigate the commercial feasibility of using service areas and parking areas operated by NEXCO West as a hub for next generation air mobility services.
“The service areas and parking areas within NEXCO West’s extensive network of expressways already serve large numbers of visitors.,” said SkyDrive CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa. “Adding air mobility services to the shopping and other facilities already on offer will add to the appeal of this highway infrastructure, turning these already busy waystations into a gateway to the skies. SkyDrive’s air mobility services will not only be able to increase value for tourists through sightseeing flights, they may also help provide peace of mind to local residents through a future role in post-disaster recovery.”
NEXCO West President and Representative Director Yoshiharu Shibamura agreed that basing SkyDrive’s aircraft alongside its highways will open up possibilities. “As a corporate member of the Kansai Economic Federation (Kankeiren), we note how SkyDrive’s approach to air mobility also aligns with Kankeiren’s philosophy of harnessing the 2025 Expo in Osaka to spur the adoption into society of cutting-edge technology.”
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Image: SkyDrive conceptual image