Commercial electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) developer, Joby Aviation, Inc. and ANA Holdings Inc. (ANA HD) have announced a new partnership with Nomura Real Estate Development Co. Ltd. (NRE) to establish a series of vertiports and associated infrastructure across Japan.
Together, the three companies will primarily focus on the introduction of the required infrastructure in urban areas across the country, hoping to support the wider adoption of commercialised eVTOL taxi services in the process.
Recently, Joby became a technical adviser in the Tokyo Bay eSG Project, which is led by NRE and sponsored by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to demonstrate several multi-modal mobility solutions across Japan.
As part of the project, the partners intend to introduce a floating landing port in Tokyo Bay, continuing their work with local stakeholders to introduce the benefits of the technology as well as support community adoption of air taxi services.
Initially coming together in 2022 to bring electric air taxi services to Japan; Joby and ANA HD, both members of the Public-Private Conference for the Future Air Mobility Revolution, have invited the work of NRE, one of the country’s largest real estate developers, to assist in the introduction and development of further air taxi services across the country.
In 2022, Joby submitted an application for validation of its Federal Aviation Administration type certification and has since continued to work closely with officials from the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau to prepare for commercial eVTOL flights within the country.
