Soracle, the joint venture between Japan Airlines and Sumitomo Corporation, is to lead the establishment of air taxi services in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Archer Aviation will supply its Midnight aircraft as the core of Soracle’s future fleet, making it the only US eVTOL manufacturer involved in launching such services in the region.

Agreements with Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City are a key step towards building the operational, regulatory and community frameworks needed to connect Osaka and the wider Kansai region with quiet, sustainable and safe air taxi flights.

Soracle and Archer formed a strategic alliance in November 2024 to jointly launch air taxi operations in Japan, with a focus on cities where road transport is limited by congestion or geography. As part of that alliance, Soracle obtained the right to place aircraft orders of up to 100 Midnight aircraft, totalling approximately $500 million, including pre-delivery payments based on certain milestones in advance of aircraft delivery. The partners recently displayed the Midnight aircraft at the Osaka-Kansai World Expo to showcase the planned service.

Osaka Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama says: “We are delighted to have signed this wonderful collaboration agreement with our partner, Soracle. One of our major goals is to implement the eVTOL technology exhibited at the ongoing Osaka-Kansai Expo, and we are very encouraged by Soracle's progress toward commercial operations in 2027. Flying cars have great potential, and we hope to see them used not only in tourism but also in medical and disaster relief, as outlined in our collaboration agreement. Osaka, with its coastal location, is an ideal location for increasing social acceptance in the initial phase and for initial implementation. Osaka City has a dedicated takeoff and landing site for flying cars, the Osaka Port Vertiport, and we hope that it will be utilised.”

Japan has long been a pioneer of advanced transportation systems, with high-speed rail and modern aviation infrastructure. Now, with the imminent commercialisation of eVTOL aircraft, the country is poised to be an early adopter in the next generation of air transportation.

A Japanese delegation including Hiromasa Nakano, the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau and the Consul General of Japan in San Francisco recently visited Archer’s headquarters in the US for a briefing with Archer's leadership to discuss how air taxi services could be rolled out across the country.

Archer CEO and founder Adam Goldstein commented: “We're proud of our continued partnership with Soracle, and applaud its latest milestone securing air taxi rights in Osaka. It was an honour to host Minister Nakano and the Japanese delegation this past week, and I look forward to deepening our relationship in the country as we build the foundation for commercial air taxi services in Japan.”