2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charles Alcock

<p>News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.</p>


<p>News and issues concerning the aviation charter and fractional-ownership industries and markets, including company announcements, regulations, new developments and labor issues.</p>


<p>Issues regarding financing of aircraft; aviation insurance; tax issues for aircraft operators; new companies and people in the aviation financing and insurance industries.</p>


New backers include public transportation group Osaka Metro

SkyDrive Attracts $55 Million in New Funding for eVTOL Aircraft

<p>New developments at airports including regulations and noise issues; legal disputes; openings, acquisitions and mergers.</p>


The Japanese manufacturer launched a partnership with Kyushu Railway Company

Japanese Train Operator Seeks to Integrate eVTOL Air Taxi Services

<p>News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.</p>


The three-seat vehicle is expected to achieve Japanese type certification in 2026

Japan's SkyDrive Begins FAA Type Certification for eVTOL Aircraft

<p>News about environmental issues relating to aircraft operations, including noise issues, emissisions, and regulations. See Fuel for biofuel.</p>


The private charter operator is based in Augusta, Georgia

Bravo Air Plans To Operate SkyDrive eVTOL Aircraft 

<p>Japanese “flying car” developer SkyDrive has started building the first prototype of its&nbsp;three-seat SD-05 eVTOL aircraft. On March 7, the company announced it has started assembling&nbsp;the first parts in a joint operation with automotive manufacturer Suzuki Motor Corporation, through a subsidiary called <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-10-12/skydrive-and-suzuki-establish-evtol-aircraft-manufacturing-subsidiary">Sky Works</a>. Suzuki is providing space at its factory in Iwata City in Japan’s Shizuoka prefecture and according to SkyDrive, the site will have the capacity to assemble up to 100 aircraft per year.</p>
<p>“This facility allows us to produce high-quality eVTOLs efficiently and effectively, ensuring we meet the needs of our customers,” said Sky Works president Nobuo Kishi.&nbsp;</p>
<p>SkyDrive aims to achieve provisional airworthiness approval for the SD-05 aircraft in time for the <a href="https://futureflight.aero/news-article/2021-05-20/skyports-aims-provide-vertiport-japans-osaka-kansai-world-expo">2025 Osaka World Expo</a>, where it plans to conduct public flight demonstrations. The company is not disclosing initial production rates or the number of prototypes it aims to manufacture&nbsp;before certification. A SkyDrive spokesperson told <strong>AIN</strong> that&nbsp;“our initial focus is to build an aircraft for Expo in order to acquire an appropriate authorization/permit to fly.”</p>
<p>The company is working to obtain a <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-05-03/japanese-regulator-approves-type-certification-basis-skydrives-personal">type certificate</a> from the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau and expects to have the vehicle in service by 2026 when it will launch full-scale serial production. SkyDrive also plans to certify the aircraft with the U.S. FAA, and it has signed provisional sales agreements with operators in other Asian markets, including <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-07-21/skydrive-reports-more-provisional-evtol-aircraft-sales-vietnam-and-south">Vietnam</a>.</p>
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            <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item">  <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/futureflight/import/skydrive_production_launch_march2024_2.jpg" width="2200" height="1466" alt="Two SkyDrive employees are pictured working on inventories at the Iwata City manufacturing plant" title="SkyDrive employees prepare the Iwata City manufacturing facility for the launch of SD-05 production. (Photo: SkyDrive)">

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            <div class="field field--name-field-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">SkyDrive employees prepare the Iwata City manufacturing facility for the launch of SD-05 production. (Photo: SkyDrive)</div>
      
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<figcaption>SkyDrive employees prepare the Iwata City manufacturing facility for the launch of SD-05 production. (Photo: SkyDrive)</figcaption>
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<p>The first prototypes that come off the production line in Iwata City will be used for the SD-05 flight test campaign. Although the three-seat SD-05 model is not yet flight-proven, the company has been flying its full-scale SD-03 model since 2020. It expects to begin flying the first SD-05 prototype sometime this year, the spokesperson told <strong>AIN</strong>.</p>
<p>The battery-powered SD-05 aircraft is a multicopter with 12 electric motors mounted to an overhead boom assembly. It is designed to carry a pilot plus two passengers up to 15 kilometers (9 miles) on a single charge, with a maximum cruise speed of 100 kph (62 mph).</p>
<p>Eventually SkyDrive aims to introduce an autonomous version of the aircraft that would free up space for one additional passenger in place of the on-board pilot, but it doesn’t foresee that happening until the 2030s.&nbsp;</p>
<p>While SkyDrive’s eVTOL is primarily intended for commercial air taxi and aerial tourism operations, the company has begun accepting pre-orders from <a href="https://futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-04-13/skydrive-signs-first-private-use-preorder-sd-05-evtol-aircraft">private customers</a>. It is also exploring emergency medical applications for the aircraft.</p>
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            <div class="field field--name-field-media-oembed-video field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item"><iframe src="https://backend.ainonline.com//media/oembed?url=https%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DouX1QYtUIgc%26ab_channel%3DSkyDriveInc&amp;max_width=0&amp;max_height=0&amp;hash=LyNajJKVZyCbPyAuI47xxbqMmNDu4Y3OJNbVboketmg" width="200" height="113" class="media-oembed-content" loading="eager" title="【SkyDrive】&quot;SKYDRIVE&quot;:  Lightweight Three-seat eVTOL Aircraft"></iframe>
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Science & Technology Editor

Hanneke Weitering

SkyDrive Launches Production of SD-05 eVTOL Prototype

<p><span><span><span>Japanese eVTOL aircraft developer SkyDrive is looking to make early inroads into India’s advanced air mobility (AAM) market through new public and private-sector partnerships. During the Gujarat Global Summit 2024 event that closed on January 13, the company signed collaboration agreements with the engineering and technology group Cyient and the government of the Indian state of Gujarat.</span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span>Gujarat’s Department of Science and Technology will work with SkyDrive to develop the ecosystem needed to launch eVTOL air services in the state by 2027. Government officials will also support feasibility studies focused on creating AAM businesses in Gujarat, which is the political power base of Indian Prime Minister Narendra.</span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span>“We would work closely together with the public and private sectors [in Gujarat] to provide solutions for issues, such as mobility emissions and urban congestion,” said SkyDrive CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa.</span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span>Under a memorandum of understanding signed on January 12, Cyrient will support SkyDrive’s efforts to bring its three-seat eVTOL aircraft to market by 2028. Initially, the company will assist with tasks such as creating the technical publication manual for the all-electric vehicle, which is expected to be used for flights of up to just 15 miles. </span></span></span></p>
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            <div class="field field--name-field-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Left to right: Cyrient founder and chairman BVR Reddy, Cyient CEO Karthikeyan Natarajan, and SkyDrive CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa signed a collaboration agreement at the Indian company's headquarters in Hyderabad. (Image: SkyDrive)</div>
      
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<figcaption>Left to right: Cyrient founder and chairman BVR Reddy, Cyient CEO Karthikeyan Natarajan, and SkyDrive CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa signed a collaboration agreement at the Indian company's headquarters in Hyderabad. (Image: SkyDrive)</figcaption>
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<p><span><span><span>Cyrient is based in Hyderabad, which is one of India’s biggest technology hub cities and the capital of the southern state of Telangana. The group’s CEO and executive director, Kathineyan Natarajan, said the partnership could be expanded to cover other aspects of developing new urban mobility initiatives in Indian cities.</span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span>According to Cyrient, it supports multiple aerospace and defense companies with engineering services focused on manufacturing and design for aircraft engines, aerostructures, cabin interiors, and avionics. It aims to lower engineering costs and help with supply-chain challenges faced by the industry and is also involved in fields such as modernizing the railway industry with digital technology.</span></span></span></p>
<h3 class="subheading"><strong><span><span><span>Multiple AAM Companies Target Indian Market</span></span></span></strong></h3>
<h3 class="subheading"><span><span><span>Several other eVTOL aircraft developers—among them&nbsp;<a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-11-14/eve-launches-urban-air-mobility-partnerships-dubai-and-india">Eve Air Mobility</a>, <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-11-08/archer-plans-bring-evtol-air-taxi-services-india">Archer</a>, and Jaunt—have previously announced partnerships aimed at developing AAM services in India with companies including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-03-28/blade-set-expand-indian-charter-flight-network-jaunts-journey-evtol">Blade.</a> There has also been local interest in new hybrid-electric aircraft such as <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-11-01/indian-leasing-group-vman-plans-buy-lytes-skybus-vtol-aircraft">Lyte Aviation's SkyBus</a> and <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-07-05/indian-regional-airline-plans-switch-fleet-electric-seaplanes">Jekta's PHA-ZE 100 </a>electric seaplane.&nbsp;</span></span></span></h3>
<p><span><span><span>Last week, SkyDrive announced that it has secured an unspecified amount of additional capital through a Series C funding round involving a third-party allotment of new shares to its existing backer, Suzuki Motor Corporation. The companies jointly exhibited at the Global Trade Show, which was part of the Gujarat Global Summit 2024 event. At&nbsp;the booth of its partner, Maruti-Suzuki India Limited, the company displayed the SD-05 one-fifth-scale model of its aircraft. </span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span>In October, SkyDrive received funding from the Japanese government. It aims to achieve provisional airworthiness approval in time for the aircraft to be demonstrated during the Osaka World Expo in 2025, with <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-10-23/japanese-government-backs-skydrives-evtol-aircraft-development">full type certification</a> expected to take longer to complete. </span></span></span></p>


Managing Editor

SkyDrive Forges Partnerships in India To Pave the Way for Advanced Air Mobility

<p>Japanese eVTOL aircraft developer SkyDrive says a Setouchi Islands tourism association has agreed to purchase an unspecified number of the company’s three-seat SD-05 air taxis for commercial use.&nbsp;</p>
<p>SkyDrive announced Friday that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Okayama Kurashiki Mizushima Aero &amp; Space Industry Cluster Study Group (MASC), in which they pledged to collaborate on the development of commercial eVTOL operations in Japan’s Setouchi Islands, a group of thousands of small islands in the Seto Inland Sea.&nbsp;</p>
<p>MASC is a general incorporated association that aims to promote aerial tourism in the Setouchi Islands. As part of their agreement, MASC and SkyDrive will explore possible suburban air taxi routes as well as other commercial uses for SkyDrive’s eVTOL aircraft.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The fully electric <a href="https://futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-06-22/skydrive-build-three-seat-evtol-aircraft-suzuki-factory">SkyDrive SD-05</a> aircraft will be capable of transporting two passengers plus one pilot on short flights of up to around 15 kilometers (nine miles) at a maximum cruise speed of about 100 kph (62 mph), according to SkyDrive. It features a multicopter design with 12 electric motor-propeller units mounted to an overhead boom assembly.&nbsp;</p>
<p>SkyDrive aims to have its three-seat SD-05 eVTOL aircraft certified for commercial use in Japan sometime in the next five years, after which it plans to begin mass-producing the vehicle together with <a href="https://futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-10-12/skydrive-and-suzuki-establish-evtol-aircraft-manufacturing-subsidiary">Suzuki</a> at a factory in Iwata City. The company says it expects to have airworthiness certification in hand before the <a href="https://futureflight.aero/news-article/2021-09-16/osaka-expands-advanced-air-mobility-work-skydrive-partnership">Osaka World Expo</a> in 2025, where it plans to conduct public flight demonstrations.&nbsp;</p>
<p>MASC is also working with EHang and has preordered an unspecified number of the Chinese company’s <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2021-12-23/ehang-announces-launch-order-longer-range-vt-30-evtol-aircraft">VT-30 eVTOL aircraft</a>, a longer-range version of the EH216 model for which it <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-10-13/china-issues-worlds-first-evtol-aircraft-type-certificate-ehangs-eh216-s">recently obtained type certification</a> in China. EHang is also targeting commercial sightseeing applications for its autonomous two-seat vehicles.&nbsp;</p>
<p>SkyDrive has signed provisional sales agreements with operators in countries around the world, including Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, and the United States. Following its recent receipt of a <a href="https://futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-10-23/japanese-government-backs-skydrives-evtol-aircraft-development">government research grant</a> worth 12.4 billion yen ($82.7 million), the company has raised at least $27.4 billion yen ($183 million). Its investors include the Suzuki Motor Corp., the Kansai Electric Power Company, Kintetsu Group Holdings, and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank.</p>


Japanese eVTOL Developer SkyDrive Partners with Setouchi Islands Tourism Group

<p>The Japanese government has awarded SkyDrive a research grant worth 12.4 billion yen ($82.7 million) as a contribution to the development costs for its three-seat eVTOL aircraft. The country's Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry has backed the start-up through its small business innovation research (SBIR) program, which provides funding for start-ups developing advanced technologies that could have a positive impact on society. SkyDrive was nominated for the “next-generation air mobility” award category.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Powered entirely by electric batteries, SkyDrive’s eVTOL aircraft could help to reduce Japan’s overall emissions while alleviating congestion on the ground. The Tokyo-based UAM start-up says the vehicle will be a “suitable and accessible aircraft for family, friends, and commuters with an affordable operating cost per person.” It is intended for short journeys, with an anticipated range of just 15 kilometers (9 miles).</p>
<p>While SkyDrive has previously stated that its aircraft would enter service in 2026, the company now says it expects to achieve type certification for commercial operations “in the next five years,” implying that its service entry could potentially slip to 2028. SkyDrive says the SBIR grant will enable it to “develop the aircraft to fully satisfy market demands with the specification required from operators and be mass-produced.”&nbsp;</p>
<p>The Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-05-03/japanese-regulator-approves-type-certification-basis-skydrives-personal">approved the certification basis</a> for SkyDrive’s two-seat personal eVTOL vehicle in May 2022. Since then, the company has <a href="https://futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-06-22/skydrive-build-three-seat-evtol-aircraft-suzuki-factory">redesigned the aircraft</a> to include an additional seat, making it more suitable for commercial air taxi operations. SkyDrive aims to gain airworthiness certification for the three-seat model in time to fly it at the Osaka World Expo in 2025.&nbsp;</p>
<p>In addition to some initial <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-04-13/skydrive-signs-first-private-use-preorder-sd-05-evtol-aircraft">private-use orders</a>, SkyDrive has signed provisional sales agreements with prospective operators around the world, including South Korea, Vietnam, and <a href="https://futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-07-21/skydrive-reports-more-provisional-evtol-aircraft-sales-vietnam-and-south">South Carolina</a>. The company has also secured some orders from clients in Japan.</p>
<p>Since SkyDrive’s founding in 2018, the company has raised at least $27.4 billion yen ($183 million). In its latest Series C funding round, which closed in September 2022, the company reported having raised more than 10 billion yen ($67 million). That funding round was backed by 13 companies, including the Suzuki Motor Corp., the Kansai Electric Power Company, Kintetsu Group Holdings, and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank.</p>


Japanese Government Backs SkyDrive's eVTOL Aircraft Development

<p><span><span><span>Japan’s SkyDrive this week confirmed more details about its plan to start series production of its three-seat SD-05 eVTOL aircraft. The start-up announced it has established a subsidiary production company called Sky Works in partnership with Suzuki Motor Corporation, which is providing capacity at its factory in Iwata City to assemble the aircraft at an initial rate of 100 units per year.</span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span>The new company was established on September 1, with SkyDrive’s chief technology officer Nobuo Kishi appointed as its president. The move builds on the <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-06-22/skydrive-build-three-seat-evtol-aircraft-suzuki-factory">partnership announced</a> with Suzuki at the Paris Air Show in June.</span></span></span></p>
<p>According to SkyDrive, it will start producing&nbsp;the first SD-05 prototypes in the Spring of 2024 to get the aircraft ready for flight testing. Series production is expected to begin in 2026 when the company aims to complete type certification with&nbsp;<span><span><span>the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau. It plans&nbsp;</span></span></span><span><span><span>to fly the vehicle for demonstration purposes during the 2025 World Expo in Osaka.</span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span>Meanwhile, SkyDrive and Suzuki executives are also now working on possible use cases for the SD-05 aircraft in India. During recent discussions with prospective stakeholders in the country, they pressed the case for eVTOL vehicles to be used to reduce pollution from cars in crowded Indian cities and also for services such as sightseeing flights. The partners indicated they may have an interest in establishing research and development and manufacturing facilities in India.</span></span></span></p>
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            <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item">  <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/futureflight/import/3_Discussion%20with%20related%20stakeholders%20in%20India.PNG" width="1118" height="726" alt="SkyDrive executives brief Indian stakeholders on their plans for eVTOL aircraft." title="SkyDrive executives brief Indian stakeholders on how they see the SD-05 eVTOL aircraft being used in India. (Image: SkyDrive)">

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            <div class="field field--name-field-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">SkyDrive executives brief Indian stakeholders on how they see the SD-05 eVTOL aircraft being used in India. (Image: SkyDrive)</div>
      
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<figcaption>SkyDrive executives brief Indian stakeholders on how they see the SD-05 eVTOL aircraft being used in India. (Image: SkyDrive)</figcaption>
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<p><span><span><span>SkyDrive and Suzuki will jointly exhibit at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo which opens on October 28. The display for the Tokyo Future Tour section of the show will feature a one-fifth scale model of the recently redesigned SD-05 and a full-scale mock-up of the earlier SD-03 technology demonstrator.</span></span></span></p>


SkyDrive and Suzuki Establish eVTOL Aircraft Manufacturing Subsidiary

<p><span><span><span>Korean aircraft leasing group Solyu Company plans to acquire up to 50 of SkyDrive’s eVTOL vehicles to its portfolio. In a memorandum of understanding signed on September 15, Solyu agreed to provisional pre-orders for the three-seat SD-05 aircraft.</span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span>Seoul-based Solyu is preparing to provide equipment to support the anticipated demand for advanced air mobility services in South Korea, where the government has expressed support for the new mode of transportation as part of plans to reduce urban road congestion. The company also intends to include other electric airplanes, including new eSTOL models that only need short runways to operate, in its leasing portfolio. </span></span></span><span><span><span>Earlier this month, Solyu signed a provisional agreement to buy 25 of Eviation’s Alice electric regional aircraft.</span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span>In June, Japan-based SkyDrive announced a <a href="Korean aircraft leasing group Solyu Company plans to acquire up to 50 of SkyDrive’s eVTOL vehicles to its portfolio. In a memorandum of understanding signed on September 15, Solyu agreed to provisional pre-orders for the three-seat SD-05 aircraft. Seoul-based Solyu is preparing to provide equipment to support anticipated demand for advanced air mobility services in South Korea, where the government has expressed support for the new mode of transportation as part of plans to reduce urban road congestion. The company also intends to include other electric airplanes, including new eSTOL models that only need short runways to operate, in its leasing portfolio.  Earlier this month, Solyu signed a provisional agreemen to buy 25 of Eviation’s Alice electric regional aircraft. In June, Japan-based SkyDrive announced a redesign of its eVTOL design, to add an extra seat to accommodate a pilot plus two passengers. The company has begun a type certification process with the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau and aims to have the SD-05 certified and ready to enter commercial service in 2026.  Recently, SkyDrive signed provisional sales agreements with Vietnamese technology group CT covering the purchase of 100 of the SD-05 model and with South Carolina-based operator Austin Aviation for 5 units. It also holds “pre-orders” for 10 more of the eVTOL vehicles from Vietnamese renewable energy company Pacific Group. “This is the first pre-order from a leasing company and we are very grateful to be able to proceed with the Solyu team with extensive experience in the aircraft leasing industry,” commented SkyDrive CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa. “We look forward to working with Solyu to open up the Korean market and to contribute to the goal. Of reducing CO2 emisssions in the Korean aviation sector.”">redesign of its eVTOL design</a>, to add an extra seat to accommodate a pilot plus two passengers. The company has begun a type certification process with the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau and aims to have the SD-05 certified and ready to enter commercial service in 2026. The aircraft is intended purely for short journeys, with an anticipated range of just 15 km (9 miles).</span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span>Recently, SkyDrive signed <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-07-21/skydrive-reports-more-provisional-evtol-aircraft-sales-vietnam-and-south">provisional sales agreements </a>with V</span><span>ietnamese technology group CT covering the purchase of 100 of the SD-05 model and with South Carolina-based operator Austin Aviation for 5 units. It also holds “pre-orders” for 10 more of the eVTOL vehicles from Vietnamese renewable energy company Pacific Group. The company has also secured some orders from clients in Japan.</span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span>“This is the first pre-order from a leasing company and we are very grateful to be able to proceed with the Solyu team with extensive experience in the aircraft leasing industry,” commented SkyDrive CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa. “We look forward to working with Solyu to open up the Korean market and to contribute to the goal. Of reducing CO2 emissions in the Korean aviation sector.”</span></span></span></p>


SkyDrive

News

SkyDrive Attracts $55 Million in New Funding for eVTOL Aircraft

Japanese Train Operator Seeks to Integrate eVTOL Air Taxi Services

Japan's SkyDrive Begins FAA Type Certification for eVTOL Aircraft

Bravo Air Plans To Operate SkyDrive eVTOL Aircraft

SkyDrive Launches Production of SD-05 eVTOL Prototype

SkyDrive Forges Partnerships in India To Pave the Way for Advanced Air Mobility

Japanese eVTOL Developer SkyDrive Partners with Setouchi Islands Tourism Group

Japanese Government Backs SkyDrive's eVTOL Aircraft Development

SkyDrive and Suzuki Establish eVTOL Aircraft Manufacturing Subsidiary

Korean Leasing Group Plans to Add SkyDrive eVTOL Vehicle to Portfolio

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