Osaka Metro to study ongoing use of SkyDrive’s eVTOL in 2025
Japan’s Osaka Metro has signed an agreement with eVTOL manufacturer SkyDrive to study the feasibility of using its SD-05 aircraft in the Osaka area after the upcoming 2025 Expo.
Operating eight subway lines and one automated tram, Osaka Metro transports around 2.4 million passengers a day. It is also advancing an ‘urban mobility-as-a-service’ concept called eMETRO, integrating various forms of transport including subways, buses and taxis across the city.
In February 2024, Osaka Metro was selected as an operator of a vertiport outside the Osaka World Expo 2025; participating in the event’s AAM Smart Mobility Expo project. At the time, Skydrive CEO and founder Tomohiro Fukuzawa stated he was “once again aware of the expectations for AAM at the Expo site and excited about the challenges ahead”.
The Expo itself will run from April until October 2025 and be located on the island of Yumeshima on Osaka’s waterfront. Further details about SkyDrive’s operations including routes, frequency and number of aircraft in operation are currently under discussion.
Under plans for continued implementation of the SD-05, “SkyDrive and Osaka Metro will explore detailed business plans and operations to determine how they can practically use eVTOL technology,” explained SkyDrive, which “envisions a future where eVTOL becomes a common mode of daily transportation”.
