Collaborating With American Startup, ANA Brings Flying Taxi Service To Japan

JAKARTA - If nothing goes wrong, ANA Holdings Inc., in collaboration with US start-up Joby Aviation Inc., will bring an air taxi service to Japan, with the target of starting the service at the 2025 World Exhibition in Osaka.

Parent All Nippon Airways Co., and the US company will cooperate on flight operations, traffic management, infrastructure development and pilot training for flying taxis, they said in a joint release.

Joby Aviation is targeting the launch of an air taxi service by 2024. They are developing a five-seat electric plane that can take off and land vertically, with a maximum range of 241 kilometers and a top speed of 321 km per hour.

"Being able to provide (our customers) the option to travel quickly and sustainably, from international airports to downtown locations is exciting," said ANA Holdings Executive Vice President Koji Shibata in a press release, citing Kyodo News Feb. 15.

ANA is following Toyota Motor Corp in working with the US electric aircraft maker. The world's largest automaker by volume said by 2020 it is investing $394 million in Joby Aviation, to share its expertise in car manufacturing and electrification technology to help mass-produce electric aircraft.

ANA's rival, Japan Airlines Co., is also working with trading firm Sumitomo Corp., and US aircraft manufacturer Bell Textron Inc., to develop a flying taxi. Explore business opportunities for next-generation air mobility services in Japan and other Asian countries.

The announcement by ANA comes at a time when the Japanese government has been pushing for the development of flying cars, with the aim of using them practically around 2023 to 2025, for purposes such as shipping goods in mountainous and urban areas.

Going forward, the government anticipates using new transportation systems to transport people in urban areas and for disaster relief, such as emergency transportation in collaboration with private companies in the logistics and car sectors, the government said.

At the Osaka exhibition, Japan is eyeing flying cars that offer passengers rides around the artificial island of Yumeshima City, the exhibition site, or back and forth between the island and the airport located some 20 kilometers away, making it one of the main attractions.

As the competition for flying mobility development intensifies, an official at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said securing safety is one of the challenges that need to be addressed.

To note, among Japanese developers, SkyDrive Inc., a startup with engineers from Toyota, carried out a manned test flight of its flying car in 2019 and also hopes to offer services during the 2025 exhibition.