PLANA and SkyTaxi sign LoI for 50 eVTOLs

AAM aircraft developer PLANA announced a letter of intent (LoI) for the delivery of 50 eVTOL aircraft to Japan. 

The company announced that it had signed the LoI with SkyTaxi (SoratobuTaxi) for its hybrid eVTOL CP-01 which currently under development. Additionally, the company signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with SkyTaxi for the development and operation of AAM aircraft. According to the company, the initial 10 aircraft will be delivered in 2030, followed by an additional 40 by 2040. SkyTaxi is a new company that was formed last year by the Daiho Taxi Group.

“This collaborative project between PLANA and SkyTaxi will have a huge impact on the global AAM industry by players from Asia,” said Takuto Hojo, CEO of SkyTaxi. “We are committed to developing the best business with PLANA so that we can be a model case for one of Asia’s leading AAM industries.”

The Daiho Taxi Group has been operating taxi companies in the Osaka region of Japan for almost a century. SkyTaxi was created to venture into the air taxi sector. The company is currently training pilots, introducing new aircraft, and conducting operational tests. They are preparing to launch air routes that will connect Osaka’s city centres, including Umeda and Namba, world heritage and sightseeing destinations all over Japan, as well as Kansai and Kobe airports. These routes are expected to be operational in time for the 2025 Osaka Expo.

Under the letter of intent and business agreement, PLANA and SkyTaxi will collaborate on the development of AAM aircraft, operational concepts, and interior design concepts that cater to the needs of air taxi operators, market analysis, and demonstrations.

Braden J. Kim, the CEO of PLANA, said: “With the signing of this letter of intent and business cooperation, we have opened up a huge potential market in Japan, and for the first time in the world, we are looking at cross-border travel. We will proceed with the development of the aircraft according to the roadmap we have designed and continue to develop more optimised utilisation models by understanding the specificities of each country’s market.”