Space Aviation Signs Letter of Intent to Purchase 'SKYDRIVE' Flying Car
Space Aviation has signed a Letter of Intent with SkyDrive Inc., a developer of flying cars, for the purchase of the 'SKYDRIVE' aircraft. This agreement will enable Space Aviation to launch new air mobility services utilizing flying cars by 2028, aiming to revitalize local communities.
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- 📰 Published: May 13, 2026 at 23:00
- 🔍 Collected: May 13, 2026 at 14:32
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Space Aviation Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture; Representative Director and President: Akihiro Yasuda; hereinafter 'the Company') is pleased to announce that it has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for the purchase of the 'SKYDRIVE (SkyDrive Model SD-05)' flying car with SkyDrive Inc. (Headquarters: Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture; Representative Director and CEO: Tomohiro Fukuzawa; hereinafter 'SkyDrive'), which develops, manufactures, and sells 'flying cars' (*1). This agreement has led to a basic agreement on the purchase of one aircraft and the fundamental conditions for specific pricing and delivery schedules.
■ Background
Our company aims to solve social issues through an 'air mobility revolution,' deploying 50 helicopters and jets nationwide and providing top-class operational services in passenger transport and sightseeing flights in Japan. Beyond merely providing means of transportation, we have been comprehensively promoting the construction of disaster prevention infrastructure, such as revitalizing regional economies by improving access to inconvenient areas and serving as an emergency support base during disasters.
To expand our rich aviation operational knowledge cultivated over the years into 'flying cars,' which are more environmentally friendly and quieter means of transportation, we have decided to introduce SkyDrive's aircraft, which has a proven track record, including a demo flight at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo. We resonate with SkyDrive's mission to 'lead the mobility revolution of the century' and will accelerate the creation of new mobility services utilizing next-generation mobility through this introduction.
Through this agreement, our company plans to start providing new air mobility services utilizing its unique network by 2028. Concurrently, we will also consider the possibility of converting the heliport in Kyoto, where our company is headquartered, into a vertiport in the future, and developing sightseeing services and new mobility services within Kyoto City using flying cars. This will contribute to the revitalization of local communities by making 'air mobility' a daily reality in various scenarios, such as shortening travel times between tourist destinations, improving convenience for intra-regional travel, and securing emergency transport routes during disasters.
■ Comment from Representative Director and President
Akihiro Yasuda, Representative Director and President, Space Aviation Co., Ltd.
'Our company has, until now, transformed 'freedom of movement and valuable time' through helicopters. SkyDrive's eVTOL is precisely the next-generation mobility infrastructure we sought: 'quiet, environmentally friendly, and easy to use in urban areas.' In the future, by aiming to expand services such as Kansai Airport-Kyoto routes and utilize off-airport landing sites nationwide, we will realize a richer and more convenient society where helicopters and flying cars coexist.'
Tomohiro Fukuzawa, Representative Director and CEO, SkyDrive Inc.
'We are delighted to have reached a basic agreement for the purchase of the new 'SKYDRIVE (SkyDrive Model SD-05)' aircraft with Space Aviation, which operates helicopter sightseeing flights nationwide and sky taxi services from airports and urban areas to tourist destinations and hotels/golf courses. We are confident that by combining Space Aviation's extensive aviation service knowledge and network with SkyDrive's flying cars, we can strongly promote the social implementation of flying cars and make Japan's air mobility revolution more certain. Together, we will accelerate the realization of a society where the sky feels closer by the start of service in 2028.'
■ About SkyDrive Inc.
Established in July 2018 with the mission to 'lead the mobility revolution of the century.' It develops 'flying cars' primarily in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, and has started manufacturing at a Suzuki Group factory in Iwata City, Shizuoka Prefecture. It participates in institutional design as a member of public-private councils, successfully conducted Japan's first public manned flight test in 2020, and performed a demo flight at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo. It is striving for aircraft development with the goal of starting service in 2028.
URL: https://skydrive.co.jp/
*1 What is a flying car: It is an accessible and sustainable next-generation air mobility solution realized through aviation technologies such as electrification and automation, and operational forms such as vertical takeoff and landing. In other countries, it is called 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
■ About Space Aviation Co., Ltd.
Keywords:
■ Background
Our company aims to solve social issues through an 'air mobility revolution,' deploying 50 helicopters and jets nationwide and providing top-class operational services in passenger transport and sightseeing flights in Japan. Beyond merely providing means of transportation, we have been comprehensively promoting the construction of disaster prevention infrastructure, such as revitalizing regional economies by improving access to inconvenient areas and serving as an emergency support base during disasters.
To expand our rich aviation operational knowledge cultivated over the years into 'flying cars,' which are more environmentally friendly and quieter means of transportation, we have decided to introduce SkyDrive's aircraft, which has a proven track record, including a demo flight at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo. We resonate with SkyDrive's mission to 'lead the mobility revolution of the century' and will accelerate the creation of new mobility services utilizing next-generation mobility through this introduction.
Through this agreement, our company plans to start providing new air mobility services utilizing its unique network by 2028. Concurrently, we will also consider the possibility of converting the heliport in Kyoto, where our company is headquartered, into a vertiport in the future, and developing sightseeing services and new mobility services within Kyoto City using flying cars. This will contribute to the revitalization of local communities by making 'air mobility' a daily reality in various scenarios, such as shortening travel times between tourist destinations, improving convenience for intra-regional travel, and securing emergency transport routes during disasters.
■ Comment from Representative Director and President
Akihiro Yasuda, Representative Director and President, Space Aviation Co., Ltd.
'Our company has, until now, transformed 'freedom of movement and valuable time' through helicopters. SkyDrive's eVTOL is precisely the next-generation mobility infrastructure we sought: 'quiet, environmentally friendly, and easy to use in urban areas.' In the future, by aiming to expand services such as Kansai Airport-Kyoto routes and utilize off-airport landing sites nationwide, we will realize a richer and more convenient society where helicopters and flying cars coexist.'
Tomohiro Fukuzawa, Representative Director and CEO, SkyDrive Inc.
'We are delighted to have reached a basic agreement for the purchase of the new 'SKYDRIVE (SkyDrive Model SD-05)' aircraft with Space Aviation, which operates helicopter sightseeing flights nationwide and sky taxi services from airports and urban areas to tourist destinations and hotels/golf courses. We are confident that by combining Space Aviation's extensive aviation service knowledge and network with SkyDrive's flying cars, we can strongly promote the social implementation of flying cars and make Japan's air mobility revolution more certain. Together, we will accelerate the realization of a society where the sky feels closer by the start of service in 2028.'
■ About SkyDrive Inc.
Established in July 2018 with the mission to 'lead the mobility revolution of the century.' It develops 'flying cars' primarily in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, and has started manufacturing at a Suzuki Group factory in Iwata City, Shizuoka Prefecture. It participates in institutional design as a member of public-private councils, successfully conducted Japan's first public manned flight test in 2020, and performed a demo flight at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo. It is striving for aircraft development with the goal of starting service in 2028.
URL: https://skydrive.co.jp/
*1 What is a flying car: It is an accessible and sustainable next-generation air mobility solution realized through aviation technologies such as electrification and automation, and operational forms such as vertical takeoff and landing. In other countries, it is called 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
■ About Space Aviation Co., Ltd.
Keywords: