SkyDrive has signed a three-party agreement on a framework for future eVTOL medical transport services in Taiwan. The agreement, signed on 15 July, 2026 brings together SkyDrive, Taiwanese research and development organisation the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and 7A Drones, SkyDrive’s business partner in the implementation of this project. The agreement clarifies the division of responsibilities and future timeline for the operation of medical transport services flown in Taiwan by eVTOL aircraft.

Cooperation between the three parties began in May 2025 with the signing of a partnership agreement to work towards the commercialisation of medical eVTOL services in Taiwan’s Penghu Islands in the Taiwan Strait. Subsequently, in February 2026, a letter of intent for the purchase of 10 SkyDrive model SD-05 aircraft was signed by 7A Drones, with both parties also developing a proposed emergency medical evacuation route connecting Magong City on Penghu’s main island with Hujing Island, a more remote island within the Penghu Islands.

Remote Taiwanese islands face chronic medical access challenges including restricted inter-island transportation during rough winter weather when ferry services are frequently cancelled. With these challenges leaving significant scope for SkyDrive’s eVTOL aircraft to make a meaningful social contribution, SkyDrive is focusing on Penghu Island as a high priority project.

7A Drones is also engaged in the development of future autonomous flight technologies, and is participating in the Penghu Islands project as SkyDrive’s commercial and operational partner, taking responsibility for roles such as on-site feasibility studies, aircraft operations, aircraft maintenance and repair, negotiation with governmental and medical institutions, and preparations for entry into service.

The agreement moves the project on from the conceptual and exploratory phase into the preparatory phase. Concrete milestones are to be met in the run-up to entry into service from 2028 or later, leading and supporting various aspects of the project as per the below:

– Defining and expanding initial routes: further details of the planned Magong-Hujing route will be finalised, and further candidate routes may be added within the Penghu Islands.

– Cooperation with medical services and other related organisations: The project will identify candidate hospitals, clinics and emergency medical services, as well as local authority public health centres, with 7A Drones and ITRI taking the lead in specific, practical discussions with the local related parties.

– Identifying and readying vertiports: 7A Drones will make use of its local networks to identify candidates for permanent vertiport sites and temporary emergency landing sites, in Magong, Hujing and other locations, engaging in advance discussions with land owners and administrators.

– Clarifying technical requirements: By harnessing a combination of SkyDrive’s technical knowledge of eVTOL and 7A Drones’ track record of experience in operating and maintaining drones, including the operation of large cargo drones, both parties will establish the technical and operational requirements that will govern the systems needed to operate and control unmanned aircraft, as well as related control, communications, power supply and charging infrastructure.

– Building frameworks for public-private collaboration: ITRI and 7A Drones will work together to examine possibilities for the launch of combined public-private teams that include the central and local government officials involved in overseeing medical treatment, transportation, electricity supply and communications, with the goal of harnessing such teams for the resolution of cross-domain issues including systems design, regulatory frameworks and infrastructure readiness.

Dr Pei-Zen Chang, president of the ITRI, comments: “We believe that the use of eVTOL for emergency medical transportation in the Penghu Islands will represent an important step towards demonstrating the social utility of eVTOL aircraft. I am delighted that our cooperation with SkyDrive and 7A Drones has moved forward into this new phase. At ITRI, we have been working for many years to support the development of industry in Taiwan through technical innovation. As an applied R&D institution, we are working not only to develop and demonstrate eVTOL technology, we are also striving, through collaboration between administrative, industrial and academic organisations, to contribute to the future development of technical and industrial cooperation between Japan and Taiwan. We hope that this project, alongside its contribution to new modes of mobility for residents of remote islands, will also deepen the cooperative relationship between Japan and Taiwan, and spur the development of the eVTOL industry across Asia.”

7A Drones CEO Hsu Hsin-Sheng adds: “Since signing a letter of intent for the purchase of SkyDrive aircraft, 7A Drones has continued various investigations into the future commercialisation of eVTOL in Taiwan. This latest agreement is a highly significant development that allows us to work together with all related stakeholders to put in place specific preparations for the future launch of eVTOL services. We will now move steadily forward, one step at a time, to assess the specifics of aircraft and service operations, while working together with related organisations to build the necessary eVTOL infrastructure.”

Tomohiro Fukuzawa, CEO and founder, SkyDrive, concludes: “We consider this an extremely significant project and, with the strong support of our partners ITRI and 7A Drones, we are pleased to move this project vigorously forward from the conceptual to the preparatory phase.

“Focusing on the route linking Magong and Hujing as our core service, we will address each of the individual elements required to achieve our goals including coordination with hospitals and emergency medical services, preparation of vertiports, systems for operating and controlling unmanned aircraft, readiness of charging infrastructure, the development of the necessary legal frameworks and coordination between the public and private sectors. This project will only be possible with the powerful support of ITRI, a leading Taiwanese research institution, and 7A Drones. We will continue to work closely with our Taiwanese counterparts to make these plans a reality. We are all committed to developing medical eVTOL transport in the Penghu Islands as a first model case for the successful commercialisation of eVTOL in Taiwan and as a foundation for further contributions to future medical services in remote islands elsewhere in Asia and around the world.”