Joint Venture Company To Offer Air Taxi Flights In Japan

Soracle, a joint venture of Japan Airlines and global trading company Sumitomo, has signed a purchase agreement with Archer Aviation to purchase up to100 of Archer’s Midnight eVTOL aircraft in a deal worth about $500 million.

The purchase order comes three months after Soracle and Archer announced a pre-purchase agreement. Soracle plans to offer electric air taxi flights in Japanese cities with congested traffic or geographical barriers. Possible locations include Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Hokkaido, Setouchi, and Okinawa.

The Midnight is an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft capable of top speeds up to 150 mph and is claimed to be just 1% of the noise level of a helicopter at cruising altitude. It can carry 4 passengers with carry-on bags on consecutive 20-50 mile flights requiring only minimal charging time between flights.

Soracle and Archer are planning to do a public flight demonstration of their proposed service at the upcoming World Expo 2025 in Osaka. The expo, also known as the Yumeshimanaka Expo, will run from April 13 to October 13, 2025. Its theme is “People’s Living Lab,” focusing on designing a future that is environmentally friendly and improve people’s well-being.

Andrew Cummins, Senior Director of Business Development at Archer explained, “Japan is widely respected for its forward-thinking approach to transportation, and this investment into advanced air mobility is yet another example of that.”

FMI:  www.archer.com/