Anchor
The race to put electric air taxis in the sky
New CapabilitiesJapan's SkyDrive logs 300 incident-free test flights as it aims for a 2028 launch
July 2nd, 2026: 300 flights without incidentNew here? Follow stories to track developments over time. Create a free account to get updates when stories you care about change.
Overview
Updated Jul 2A small electric aircraft in central Japan has now flown 300 times without a single incident. SkyDrive logged those flights over 20 months, and 48 of them happened outside the company's own test field.
Flight tests are the easy part. No company in Japan or the United States has yet won permission to fly paying passengers in one of these machines. SkyDrive is betting its safety record convinces regulators to clear a 2028 launch.
Why it matters
Air taxis promise to turn a two-hour drive into a 15-minute hop. Whether that happens by 2028 depends on records like this one.
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Key Indicators
300
Test flights without incident
Flown between November 2024 and June 2026.
48
Flights outside the test center
Runs in less controlled settings, closer to real operations.
20 months
Length of the test record
The span over which the 300 flights accumulated.
2028
Targeted commercial launch
The year SkyDrive aims to carry its first paying passengers.
8
Aircraft ordered for Florida
A Florida partner signed a letter of intent in March 2026.
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People Involved
Organizations Involved
SkyDrive Inc.
eVTOL Aircraft Manufacturer
Flight-testing the SD-05 toward certification
A Toyota-backed Japanese company building the SD-05, a compact electric aircraft that takes off and lands vertically.
Suzuki Motor Corporation
Automaker and Production Partner
Building the SD-05 at its Japanese plant
The carmaker producing SkyDrive's SD-05 aircraft at one of its Japanese factories.
Timeline
July 2018 July 2026
6 events
Latest: July 2nd, 2026 · 2 months ago
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-
300 flights without incident
Latest MilestoneSkyDrive announces 300 SD-05 flights over 20 months with no incident, including 48 outside its test center. It frames the record as proof of readiness for a 2028 launch.
-
Florida order and 100 km/h milestone
CommercialSkyDrive signs a letter of intent with Aeroauto Global for eight SD-05 aircraft and reports stable flight at 100 km/h.
-
SD-05 flight testing starts
TestingSkyDrive begins the flight-test campaign that will accumulate hundreds of flights over the next 20 months.
-
SD-05 production begins with Suzuki
ManufacturingProduction of the SD-05 starts at a Suzuki Motor plant, SkyDrive's official manufacturing partner.
-
First public crewed flight
MilestoneSkyDrive demonstrates a crewed single-seat prototype hovering at its test field, drawing wide attention in Japan.
-
SkyDrive founded
OriginTomohiro Fukuzawa launches SkyDrive to build compact electric vertical takeoff aircraft.
Historical Context
3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.
May 1977
New York Airways rooftop collapse (1977)
For years, helicopters ferried commuters between Manhattan rooftops and area airports. In May 1977, a parked helicopter's landing gear failed atop the Pan Am Building. A rotor blade broke loose and killed five people, four on the roof and one on the street below.
Then
New York Airways suspended rooftop service almost immediately. The route never fully recovered.
Now
The accident helped end the idea of routine urban rooftop air commuting in New York for decades.
Why this matters now
It shows how a single accident can freeze public trust in flying over cities. SkyDrive's 300 incident-free flights are aimed squarely at that fear.
October 2023
EHang wins the first eVTOL type certificate (2023)
China's aviation regulator granted EHang a type certificate for its EH216-S, a small autonomous passenger aircraft. It was the first such approval for an electric vertical-takeoff passenger aircraft anywhere in the world.
Then
EHang began limited tourism flights in China and later added production and operating approvals.
Now
It proved the certification path exists, while leaving open how fast Western and Japanese regulators would follow.
Why this matters now
EHang shows the milestone SkyDrive is chasing is real and reachable. It also shows how much depends on which regulator, and which country, moves first.
1990s to 2000s
Moller Skycar's long stall (1990s–2000s)
Inventor Paul Moller spent decades and tens of millions of dollars promoting the Skycar, a personal flying vehicle. It made only brief tethered hovers. Regulators never certified it, and Moller faced a US securities settlement over how the venture was marketed.
Then
The Skycar never entered service or reached free flight in normal operation.
Now
It became the cautionary tale for flying-car hype that outruns engineering and certification.
Why this matters now
The gap between demo and delivery is where flying-car dreams usually die. SkyDrive's manufacturing partnership and flight record are its answer to that skepticism.