Marubeni Corp Jump Starts Osaka Expo AAM with Pre-Delivery Payment

Vertical Aerospace has inked a deal with Japan's Marubeni Corporation for the reservation of 25 VX4 eVTOL aircraft.

The deal saw a pre-delivery payment for the reservation of upcoming delivery slots, making the firm Vertical's first Asian customer to put money down to reserve their spot in line. Marubeni's newly guaranteed slots come out of its earlier order of up to 200 VX4 aircraft, from their deal made with Vertical in 2021. Outside of its 25 aircraft on the early delivery list, Marubeni will have to wait for the rest of its 175 aircraft to be delivered at Vertical's leisure - unless, perhaps, the skids can be greased with additional pre-delivery payments.

Marubeni sees its move as proving the country a key launch market for Advanced Air Mobility, to the point the firm has already hit the ground running on proof-of-concept demonstration trials. In preparation for the Osaka World Expo in 2025, Marubeni conducted flights from Osaka heliport to Wakayama using existing helicopters, charging customers simulated AAM service prices. The company seems content with the project, coming away from the dry run seeing sufficient public acceptance for future eVTOL services in the prefecture.

“We are delighted to have reached the next milestone in our partnership with Marubeni," said Stephen Fitzpatrick, Vertical Founder and CEO. "Japan is a wonderful country which is embracing the promise of eVTOL, as it will connect cities and regions like never before. We look forward to our joint efforts to build the ecosystem for zero-emissions travel in Japan.”

Satoshi Takechi, Marubeni's GM over Aviation, Space & Defense, said they can’t wait to hit the ground running. “We are proud to have taken another major step with Vertical Aerospace to introduce VX4 in Japan. I am confident that our continued joint efforts with Vertical Aerospace, such as evaluating the requirements for eVTOL operations and engaging the potential partners under the Joint Working Group, together with this new agreement, will accelerate the development of the AAM market in Japan. Marubeni will further enhance activities to materialize our business, which aims to make air travel more accessible and convenient, while simultaneously contributing to climate change mitigation measures, including low-carbon and decarbonization initiatives.”

FMI: www.vertical-aerospace.com