Korea-based zero emissions aircraft leasing company Solyu is to pre-order up to 50 SD-05 aircraft from SkyDrive, which is in the process of acquiring its Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) certification for the three seat eVTOL aircraft.

The Korean government has formed the Korea Urban Air Mobility (K-UAM) Roadmap in an attempt to reduce traffic congestion by 70 per cent. It is also promoting a plan for public-private joint demonstration project, the K-UAM Grand Challenge. Solyu believes its pre-order will go some way to promoting the use of electric, zero-emission vehicles in Korea to accelerate the K-UAM goal. The two companies continue to evaluate commercial eVTOL considerations such as vertiports, routes, infrastructure requirements and ecosystems with the Korean government and other interested stakeholders. Solyu had also placed an order for 25 Alice electric commuter aircraft with Eviation earlier this month, with options for 25 more.

Solyu president Andrew Claerbout says: “The eVTOL market will bring opportunities for reducing global emissions and increasing traveller convenience. We're honoured to work with SkyDrive and its award-winning SD-05 to develop this global market.”

SkyDrive CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa adds: “We are pleased to announce that we have received a pre-order in Korea following Vietnam and the US. This is the first pre-order from a leasing company, and we are very grateful to be able to proceed with the Solyu team, which has extensive experience in the aircraft leasing industry. We look forward to working with Solyu to open up the Korean market and contributing to the goal of reducing CO2 emissions in the Korean aviation sector.”