SkyDrive has announced that it has launched a joint initiative with leading enterprises in the Kansai region — including MUFG Bank — to evaluate and advance the commercial deployment and operational framework for eVTOL aircraft in Western Japan.
Practical steps to incorporate eVTOLs into daily urban transportation are accelerating rapidly across Osaka and the broader Kansai region, bringing commercial operations closer to reality, said SkyDrive in a press release. “For example, under a Cabinet Office Super City research project, SkyDrive is collaborating with Osaka Metro and other partners to study converting existing rooftop emergency helipads (“H” marks) on urban buildings into vertiports”.
“In response to this momentum, leading corporations across aviation, infrastructure, energy, tourism, finance and insurance… recognized that establishing a sustainable business model requires cross-industry collaboration beyond passenger services to build next-generation transport infrastructure. This shared vision led to the creation of the “Kansai Air Transportation Network Concept,” a collaborative framework designed to support the development of new industry and air mobility infrastructure originating in Kansai.”
Under this joint initiative, participating companies will combine their industry expertise and operational foundations to address the following key areas:
- Flight network and routes: Developing medium- and long-term flight networks and operational routes across the Kansai region
- Infrastructure development: Planning vertiports, maintenance facilities and supporting ground infrastructure
- Operations and safety management: Establishing operational, maintenance and safety management frameworks
- Demand generation and service integration: Creating demand and developing mobility services integrated with regional transportation and tourism
- Commercial feasibility and business models: Evaluating commercial viability and building sustainable business models
- Public and community engagement: Collaborating and maintaining ongoing dialogue with national government agencies, local municipalities and regional communities
For more information
https://skydrive.co.jp/en/news/73117/
(Image: From left : Kensuke Nishiji, managing director and head of startup acceleration strategy division at MUFG Bank; Shin Kitamura, member of the board of directors, senior managing executive officer and head of Japan Western Region at MUFG Bank; Taiji Ono, head of global business at SkyDrive; former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida; Hirofumi Yoshimura, governor of Osaka Prefecture; Tamotsu Saito, chairman of NEDO, presenting the joint initiative at the MUFG booth during Global Startup EXPO 2026 in Osaka.)