Flying Car "SKYDRIVE" Achieves Cumulative 300 Safe Flights

SkyDrive Inc. (Headquarters: Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa, hereinafter "SkyDrive"), a developer, manufacturer, and seller of compact "flying cars" (*1), is pleased to announce that its multi-rotor flying car under development, "SKYDRIVE (SkyDrive Model SD-05)", has completed a cumulative total of 300 flights without incident approximately one and a half years after commencing its first flight tests in November 2024.

Through these flights, we have accumulated operational data for commercial operations, including verification of aircraft performance, scheduled operations, and operational decision-making.

Beyond basic tests at flight test sites in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, and Yamaguchi Kirara Expo Memorial Park, we are steadily advancing development towards commercialization in 2028 by accumulating diverse flight experience in environments close to actual social conditions and real-world operations, thereby improving the reliability and safety of the aircraft.

A video summarizing the journey to achieving 300 cumulative flights has been released today on our official YouTube channel.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtyAKTLjgcA

Significance and Background of Achieving "Cumulative 300 Flights"

With the mission to "lead the mobility revolution of the century," SkyDrive is developing flying cars to realize a future where the sky is utilized for daily transportation.

SkyDrive has conducted flights not only within its test sites but also in actual social environments observed by stakeholders and residents, and utilizing vertiports developed by other companies.

The main external demonstration flight achievements (*2) conducted so far are as follows:

2025: Demonstration flights at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, and at a vertiport in Osaka Port

2026: Demonstration flights in Tokyo

Through these flights in actual environments, totaling 48 times including external settings, we have accumulated operational data assuming scheduled operations that require "accurate, on-time operations."

Toyota City: Maintenance noise is low even in snowy conditions, allowing flight tests in residential areas

Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai: Charging status at Osaka Port vertiport demonstration flight

Yamaguchi Kirara Park: Approximately 40% of aircraft maintenance engineers are foreign nationals

Future Outlook

Currently, the global flying car development competition has moved beyond the "demonstration phase of hovering" to the phase of implementation verification for commercial operations and accumulation of high-precision data for certification.

The flight and operational data accumulated through these 300 flights will serve as a crucial foundation for certification tests towards type certification and aircraft development for commercialization in 2028. We will continue to prioritize safety in our development.

Comments

Yugo Fukuhara, Executive Officer, General Manager, Project Management Department

"The achievement of these 300 flights is the result of the daily commitment to safety by our engineers, pilots, and operations team. Especially in real-world operations, we have accumulated safe operational records and valuable operational data through careful decision-making for each flight. We will continue flight tests while working to improve safety towards certification and commercialization."

Lenny Christopher, Head of Testing, Aircraft Development Division

"First, I would like to express my gratitude to everyone involved in the flight testing. Flight testing is by no means easy, and achieving 300 flights is a very significant accomplishment made possible by teamwork, various regulations, and the commitment of the entire organization. We have faced challenges in technology, operations, and schedules, but with each flight, we deepen our knowledge, improve the aircraft, and move one step closer to obtaining type certification. Looking ahead to type certification and mass production next year, we will face even greater challenges. However, with the same dedicated effort and a "one team" spirit as before, I believe we can overcome these significant challenges."

*1 Flying Car: A next-generation, accessible, and sustainable mode of air transportation realized through aviation technologies such as electrification and automation, and operational methods such as vertical takeoff and landing. In foreign countries, it is referred to as Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) or Urban Air Mobility (UAM).

Source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (March 2026) https://www.mlit.go.jp/koku/content/001994084.pdf

*2 Related Press Releases:

Demonstration flight at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai: https://skydrive.co.jp/archives/65240

Demonstration flight at Osaka Port vertiport: https://skydrive.co.jp/archives/66607

Tokyo Demonstration Flight: https://skydrive.co.jp/archives/68940 / https://skydrive.co.jp/archives/69096

≪SkyDrive Inc. Overview≫

Established

July 2018

Representative

Tomohiro Fukuzawa, Representative Director and CEO

URL

https://skydrive.co.jp/

Locations

Toyota Headquarters: 2-1-1 Koromo-cho, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture

Toyota Development Center: 20-2 Yamano-da, Nishinaka-yama, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture

Toyota Test Field: Asuke District, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture

Nagoya Airport Office: 2F Nagoya Airport, Toyoyama, Nishikasugai District, Aichi Prefecture

Tokyo Office: Hirakawa-cho Front Building 3F, 1-3-13 Hirakawa-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Osaka Office: 8F Osaka Ekimae Daiichi Building, 1-3-1-800 Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka

Yamaguchi Test Field: Ajisu, Yamaguchi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture

Subsidiaries

Sky Works Inc.: Iwata City, Shizuoka Prefecture

SkyDrive America, Inc.: Beaufort, South Carolina 29902, U.S.A.

AlterSky Inc.: Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture

Business Description

With the mission to "lead the mobility revolution of the century," SkyDrive was established in July 2018 to realize a future where "the sky is utilized for daily transportation." Based primarily in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, the company develops compact "flying cars" and began manufacturing them at Suzuki Group's factory in Iwata City, Shizuoka Prefecture. As a member of a public-private council, SkyDrive has also been involved in system design. In 2020, it succeeded in Japan's first public manned flight test and conducted demonstration flights at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai. The company continues to strive for aircraft development with the aim of launching services in 2028.