Japanese eVTOL aircraft developer building electric air taxis for urban mobility
SkyDrive is an aerospace manufacturer developing compact, all-electric vertical-takeoff aircraft for urban air mobility. Founded in 2018 and based in Toyota, the company is pursuing Type Certification from Japan's civil aviation authority (JCAB) as early as 2026, with commercial operations targeted for 2028 in the Osaka Bay Area.
Notable leadership hires: Chief Engineer, Lease Scheme Lead
SkyDrive develops quiet, lightweight, all-electric eVTOL aircraft designed for point-to-point urban transit without runway requirements. The company's flagship aircraft, the SD-05, is engineered as a low-cost air taxi suited to dense urban environments, with zero operational emissions and minimal noise for social acceptance. As of March 2025, SkyDrive had logged over 384 pre-orders across 7 countries and maintains strategic partnerships in the U.S., Vietnam, India, and Thailand. The company is headquartered in Toyota, Aichi, Japan, and operates across 201–500 employees with active hiring in Japan and the United States. Commercial launch is planned for the Osaka Bay Area around 2028, with demonstration flights scheduled for Osaka Expo 2025.
SkyDrive is pursuing Type Certification from JCAB (Japan Civil Aviation Bureau) as early as 2026. Commercial operations are targeted to launch in the Osaka Bay Area around 2028, with demonstration flights planned for Osaka Expo 2025.
SkyDrive uses CATIA for CAD, MATLAB for analysis, ANSYS and NASTRAN for simulation, IBM DOORS and Jama Connect for requirements management, plus PLM, ERP, and MES systems for manufacturing and lifecycle management across the development pipeline.
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