South Carolina-based charter operator Austin Aviation, a Lowcountry Aviation subsidiary, has signed a pre-order Letter of Intent with SkyDrive for the purchase of up to five SkyDrive eVTOL aircraft.

“Sustainable eVTOL vehicles are the next new exciting challenge in general aviation, following the early lead of the automotive industry with electric propulsion. With the SkyDrive vehicle and all South Carolina stakeholders, we look forward to being a part of this next exciting chapter in general aviation, as this new pioneering electric technology matures into reality,” says Austin Aviation president Alex Cavazzoni.

In January 2023 at the annual VFS eVTOL Symposium in Mesa, Arizona, Japan-based eVTOL aircraft manufacturer SkyDrive unveiled its plans to enter the US market and establish a home base in South Carolina. At this year's Paris Air Show, it showed a new three person manned configuration eVTOL, named SkyDrive, that utilises its patented rotor dome design.

SkyDrive, along with its network of South Carolina airports, customers, stakeholders and vendors, will create practical use cases originating from the state's major airports utilising the eVTOL aircraft model.

While SkyDrive continues to develop its South Carolina footprint from its US home base in Beaufort, the company will utilise Lowcountry Aviation's existing facilities on an as-needed basis.

“We have received an overwhelming amount of support from local, regional and state organisations here in South Carolina to develop our technology and operations within the state. We are thrilled to be taking this next step of working more closely with all South Carolina stakeholders, with the ultimate aim of placing the state at the forefront of AAM infrastructure development in the US and making our aircraft more widely accessible in the future,” says SkyDrive founder and CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa.

SkyDrive and US vertiport developer Volatus Infrastructure had previously agreed to contribute to the creation of a robust operational advanced air mobility (AAM) infrastructure. In concert with South Carolina and with major airports and operators in the state, SkyDrive aims to commence commercial operations as soon as it has completed essential development steps. Furthermore, Volatus will extend its role by providing critical expertise as SkyDrive's infrastructure plan extends from South Carolina's airports to rural areas within the state.

“We are honoured to be included in the AAM vision for South Carolina and are excited to be working alongside SkyDrive to develop a statewide AAM infrastructure plan. We hope this sets the tone for the AAM industry in the US and allows for greater advancement and accessibility,” adds Volatus co-founder Grant Fisk.

“The City of Beaufort is proud to be the US homebase for SkyDrive, and we are excited to see its business take off through continued partnerships with global and regional suppliers. The Lowcountry and South Carolina are poised to be a dominant player in the eVTOL and EV industry because of the hard work and resources made available by Team Beaufort and Team South Carolina,” says Beaufort City mayor Stephen Murray.