MASC, an association dedicated to promoting eVTOL aerial tourism in Japan's Setouchi Islands, has placed a pre-order for SkyDrive's SD-05 eVTOL aircraft. The SD-05 is currently going through the process of certification with the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB).

MASC has also established a dedicated exhibition hall with a permanent eVTOL display in Kurashiki-city. The exhibition hall serves as an educational showroom for the industry and aims to develop an industrial cluster in the Mizushima district of Kurashiki City, Okayama for AAM technology.

SkyDrive and MASC will develop commercial operations and explore potential suburban routes for the aircraft.

MASC chairman Mineichi Inoue says: "At MASC we have been working since 2017 to create a new core industry here in Kurashiki/Mizushima, where the DNA of the aerospace industry exists. We hope that this purchase of SkyDrive's aircraft and a collaboration aimed at commercial operation will lead to advanced initiatives not only in the Setouchi area but also in Japan and overseas. We especially hope that many children will learn about, and become interested in, this cutting-edge technology."

SkyDrive representative director and CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa adds: "We have been actively discussing the social implementation of flying cars with MASC, mainly in the Setouchi region. This new collaboration through the signing of a memorandum of understanding regarding pre-orders will further increase the feasibility of this collaboration. In addition, while the islands in the Seto Inland Sea are a tourist resource where you can enjoy rich nature and scenery, they can also be said to be inconvenient to get around, so the spread of flying cars can be expected to solve problems and create future business. I look forward to working together to create a future filled with flying cars."