e-VTOL developer Joby Aviation will work with ANA Holdings and Nomura Real Estate Development (NRE) to develop vertiports in Japan.
The three companies plan to jointly explore the design, location, operation, and financing of vertiport locations that will serve as the backbone of future commercial air taxi services in Japan.
The new partners will primarily focus on locations in metropolitan areas such as Tokyo, expanding over time to include numerous urban areas across greater Japan. Joby recently became a technical advisor to the Tokyo Bay eSG (environment, social, governance) project, led by NRE and sponsored by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which will demonstrate various multi-modal mobility solutions including a floating landing port in the Tokyo Bay. The partners will also work with local stakeholders to introduce the benefits of the technology and support community acceptance of air taxi services.
Joby and ANA HD, Japan’s largest airline group holding company, first partnered in 2022 to bring electric air taxi services to Japan. Both companies are members of Japan’s Public-Private Conference for the Future Air Mobility Revolution, established by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to accelerate the adoption of aerial ridesharing in the country. NRE is one of the largest real estate developers in Japan.
Image: Joby Aviation
