SkyDrive just received a pre-order for one SKYDRIVE aircraft from Chodai. The company is a major provider of construction consulting services based in Tokyo.
As a construction consultant, Chodai has played a long-standing, key role in the planning, design, management and maintenance of many of Japan’s most prestigious infrastructure projects. As the reality of commercial eVTOL flight continues to draw closer, Chodai aims to leverage its expertise and experience in infrastructure management to launch a new business related to vertiports — takeoff and landing pads for eVTOL aircraft.
As an eVTOL manufacturer, SkyDrive is “taking the lead in the once-in-a-century mobility revolution” that will transform eVTOL aircraft into a means of regular daily transportation for the general public. SkyDrive successfully conducted a demo flight of SKYDRIVE at the Osaka Expo in April 2025 and plans further flights at the Expo this summer.
In June 2022, SkyDrive and Chodai decided to combine Chodai’s experience in infrastructure provision with SkyDrive’s eVTOL technology and expertise in aircraft operations, reaching an agreement to form a partnership which is now assessing possibilities for future vertiport developments. In FY2025, SkyDrive and Chodai were joined by Osaka Metro Co., Ltd. in a three-party project designed to investigate eVTOL infrastructure and route possibilities.
These investigations will lay the groundwork for the introduction of eVTOL services in the Morinomiya area of Osaka, and other surrounding areas, in the years following the Expo. In addition to exploring infrastructure and route possibilities, the project will also focus on how to guarantee safe operations and minimize noise when eVTOL transport becomes a regular part of the local transport network.
Chodai will examine a range of potential future applications for their pre-ordered SKYDRIVE with a view to harnessing the aircraft for collaborations with business partners in a diverse range of projects across fields including tourism promotion, transportation of passengers between cities and regions, and the transportation of various goods. The two companies are also working closely together with local authorities and enterprises to address regional transport issues and contribute to the creation of new airborne mobility possibilities.
Chodai is a comprehensive construction consulting firm providing a wide range of social infrastructure services. Our expertise spans surveys, planning, design, and operations across various infrastructure sectors, including bridges, roads, transportation, ports and rivers, urban planning, ITS, information systems, environmental services, and PPP/PFI projects.
In recent years, Chodai has also expanded into the advanced air mobility sector, including feasibility studies, planning, environmental assessments, and the development of vertiports to support the introduction of eVTOL aircrafts.
