SkyDrive will launch a feasibility study into repurposing existing rooftop emergency landing sites in Osaka as eVTOL vertiports, following its demonstration flights at Expo 2025 Osaka. The project, part of the Cabinet Office’s Super City Initiative, will be conducted with partners including Chodai Co. Ltd., Kansai Electric Power Co. Inc. and Organisation of Airport Facilitation.

While much of the global eVTOL market focuses on inter-city transport between major airports and suburban heliports, SkyDrive is targeting daily intra-city travel using compact, quiet and agile aircraft. The initiative forms part of its plans to establish eVTOLs as an everyday transport option in central Osaka.

The study will evaluate high-rise structures in Osaka with established emergency landing zones. Using airspace maps, the project will categorise and examine flight operations by district, assess surrounding airspace and obstacle limitation surfaces and confirm compliance with Civil Aeronautics Act standards. It will analyse locations where building-induced winds occur to clarify safe weather and operational requirements and simulate noise levels during take off, landing and flight.

The study will also assess floor load capacities to withstand aircraft landings, map out passenger movement during flight diversions and establish logistics for transporting aircraft in cases of mechanical failure. It will evaluate the feasibility of installing charging infrastructure, determine necessary upgrades or new installations for power receiving and transforming equipment, and calculate estimated project costs.

SkyDrive and its partners will consult relevant organisations, including the Osaka Municipal Fire Department, to draft emergency scenarios and coexistence rules that balance the sites’ original purpose of ‘disaster response and lifesaving operations’ with safe daily eVTOL operations.

Following their collaboration at Expo 2025 Osaka, SkyDrive and Osaka Metro are working towards the commercial launch of eVTOL services by around 2028 within Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City, areas recognised by the Cabinet Office as ‘Super City National Strategic Special Zones’ for their commitment to an ‘optimally mobile society’ through advanced technology.

One obstacle to the widespread adoption of this next-generation mobility is the scarcity of vertiport hubs. Establishing new take off and landing sites from the ground up is particularly difficult in urban centres where available open space is limited.

Osaka City currently has 146 rooftop emergency landing sites, marked with an ‘H’ and primarily located on buildings more than 100m tall as required by local fire safety regulations. Designed exclusively for disaster response, the sites have reinforced flooring, fire suppression systems and lighting, but their use is currently limited to disaster relief.

The initiative will explore whether the sites could also serve as alternate vertiports, providing backup landing facilities when an aircraft cannot reach its intended destination. Securing commercial passenger transport permits for their use remains a regulatory challenge, with operational guidelines and regulatory frameworks still being developed.

The initiative will use the National Strategic Special Zone framework for technical verification and operational framework development, while addressing constraints including construction costs and scarce land. Unlike most previous eVTOL hub projects, which centre on constructing new infrastructure, the project will examine the potential use of existing facilities.

The initiative will combine desktop research with direct on-site building assessments, providing operational and safety data required for regulatory clearances. The findings will also inform future vertiport construction standards, with the methodology potentially applicable to other regions with comparable requirements.