Building on several months of deepening investment and cooperation between the two entities, the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) has announced a pre-order of one eVTOL air taxi from the Suzuki affiliated startup SkyDrive. The announcement came amidst a press event dubbed “railway × eVTOL” which aimed to highlight the potential infrastructural integration of rail and advanced air mobility (AAM) travel solutions to facilitate the diversification of localized transportation flows for segments such as tourism.
Over the first half of 2025, JR East has directed financial investment into Skydrive and announced nascent plans for rail and air taxi coordination along tourist routes in Japan’s Iwate Prefecture.
