Japan Firm Aims to Begin Commercial Operations of Flying Car Taxis by Early 2030s

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:28 JST, July 11, 2025

Soracle Corp. announced Thursday that it aims to begin commercial operations of “flying cars” by 2027.

Yukihiro Ota, CEO of the Tokyo-based company involved in the operation of next-generation flying cars, said the company aims to begin commercial operations of paid transport for people.

The company was jointly established by Japan Airlines Co. and Sumitomo Corp. It plans to start first in the Kansai region and then expand to other regions, including Kanto.

“Kansai will be our top candidate for where we start commercial operations of the flying cars, as we have established cooperative relationships with many people involved in the flying car industry through the Expo,” Ota told reporters at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo venue.

The company plans to begin scenic flights around Osaka Bay and flights between two sites by 2027, using aircraft from U.S. firm Archer Aviation Inc. After that, it will expand service areas to other parts of the Kansai region and make flying cars as easily available as taxis by the early 2030s.

At the Expo site on Thursday, Soracle unveiled to the press a full-scale model of an Archer Aviation aircraft, which has five seats and is about 10 meters long.