Archer Aviation announced Monday that its Japanese partner Soracle, a joint venture between Japan Airlines and Sumitomo Corporation, has selected the company as its air taxi partner in Osaka Prefecture. Soracle plans to operate Archer’s Midnight aircraft as part of its fleet, making Archer the only U.S. eVTOL manufacturer designated to participate in Osaka’s advanced air mobility plans.
There are still regulatory and operational hurdles to be cleared before offering services to the public. Still, the agreement between Soracle, Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City is described as a step toward developing the operational and regulatory framework needed for air taxi flights across the Kansai region.
Archer and Soracle announced their partnership in 2024, outlining plans to bring eVTOL services to Japan. Earlier this year, the companies displayed the Midnight aircraft at the Osaka Kansai World Expo to present their proposed service to the public.
Japan’s Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Hiromasa Nakano, met with Archer CEO Adam Goldstein during a delegation visit to California to discuss potential deployment across Japan.
“We’re proud of our continued partnership with Soracle, and applaud their latest milestone securing air taxi rights in Osaka,” Goldstein said in a release.
The news comes as Archer continues working on making headway into U.S. markets like New York and Chicago, where it intends to offer similar services. The company announced plans earlier this month to partner with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP), which would partner companies like Archer with local or regional governments to collaboratively design and test implementation models across the country.
Archer’s Midnight aircraft also reached a new milestone in other news last week when it completed its highest altitude flight to date at 7,000 feet.
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