eVTOL ascents from Osaka World Expo showcase AAM aircraft
April 22, 2025
As Osaka World Expo 2025 opens its doors to the public in Japan’s multi-month exhibition, the Smart Mobility Expo area’s dedicated vertiport has already been host to a number of eVTOL demonstration flights; showcasing the proposed benefits of advanced air mobility to a global audience.
Lift Aircraft’s ‘Hexa’ is the latest example to take to the skies, with chief pilot Jace McCown circling the single-seat aircraft above the exhibition’s vertiport. Conducted in collaboration with charter provider Marubeni Aerospace and Marubeni, “we’re bringing the future of personal air transportation to life for Expo attendees,” commented Lift Aircraft founder and CEO Matthew Chasen.
Lift will now conduct ongoing demonstration flights throughout the ongoing Expo event, preceding the launch of flight operations in Osaka later this summer. This, says Lift, will bring “the future of flight directly to customers with the opportunity to train and pilot the aircraft themselves”.
Having also made its inaugural demonstration flight, SkyDrive’s SD-05 craft will also be conducting further flights between two locations until late August; moving between the Expo vertiport (located in the northwest section of the site) and the ‘Osakaka vertiport’, located outside of the main area. “We believe this will play a crucial role in fostering social acceptance in Japan, which in turn will facilitate the smoother implementation of services like the Osaka Diamond Route,” explained a SkyDrive spokesperson. The Japanese OEM is targeting JCAB certification as early as 2026.
Alongside the vertiport, the Expo’s ‘Empowering Lives Zone’ will also feature interactive features such as Lift’s “immersive, full-motion VR flight simulators”. These are joined by SkyDrive’s SD-05 cabin mockup and the UK’s Vertical Aerospace’s showcase. Back outside to the flying demonstrations, California-based Joby Aviation and China’s EHang have also both announced their intentions to fly before the end of the expo.
