Soracle, a joint venture between Japan Airlines and Sumitomo Corporation, will lead the establishment of air taxi services in Japan’s Osaka Prefecture.
Soracle will deploy Archer Aviation’s Midnight aircraft as the core part of its fleet. Archer says this makes it the only US eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft) manufacturer set to play a key role in the establishment of air taxi services in Osaka.
The agreements with the Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City represent a critical step toward building out the operational, regulatory and community frameworks needed to connect Osaka and the broader Kansai region with air taxi flights.
Archer and Soracle previously announced a strategic alliance in November 2024 to jointly launch air taxi operations in Japan.
The goal was to offer services in cities where existing ground transportation is constrained by traffic or geographic barriers. Archer and Soracle recently displayed Archer’s Midnight aircraft at the Osaka Kansai World Expo to showcase its planned future air taxi service in the Kansai region.
Archer said that with the imminent commercialisation of eVTOL aircraft, Japan is once again poised to be an early adopter in the next generation of air transportation.
Separately, a delegation from Japan recently visited Archer’s headquarters in San Jose in the US state of California to discuss how the parties can realise air taxi services.
The Japanese delegation included Hiromasa Nakano, the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, as well as members of the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau and the Consul General of Japan in San Francisco
“We’re proud of our continued partnership with Soracle and applaud their latest milestone securing air taxi rights in Osaka,” said Archer CEO and founder Adam Goldstein.
“I look forward to deepening our relationship in the country as we build the foundation for commercial air taxi services in Japan.”
Soracle, based in Tokyo, was established in June last year to provide sustainable and efficient air transportation solutions with eVTOL services.
This initiative is part of a broader effort to integrate advanced air mobility solutions into realistic environments.
AloJapan.com