Osaka authorities have chosen Soracle, a joint venture (JV) between Japan Airlines and Sumitomo, to establish air taxi operations in the Japanese prefecture.

Soracle intends to use Archer Aviation’s Midnight electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft as the primary vehicle in its fleet.

This decision is said to make Archer Aviation the sole US eVTOL manufacturer directly involved in Osaka’s urban air mobility initiative.

Soracle’s agreements with Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City are intended to lay the groundwork for operational, regulatory, and community integration of air taxi services.

These efforts aim to connect Osaka and the wider Kansai region through scheduled flights using eVTOL technology.

Soracle CEO Yukihiro Ota said: “We are honoured to announce the partnership agreement with Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City to realise our commercial eVTOL air taxi service in the region.”

The selection follows an earlier announcement in November 2024, when Archer and Soracle agreed to jointly introduce air taxi operations in Japan, focusing on cities where traffic congestion or geographic challenges affect ground transport.

Archer and Soracle recently presented the Midnight aircraft at the Osaka Kansai World Expo as part of their engagement with stakeholders on prospective air taxi services in the Kansai area.

Last week, a Japanese delegation, including Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Hiromasa Nakano, representatives from the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau, and the Consul General of Japan in San Francisco, visited Archer Aviation’s headquarters.

The meeting addressed how both parties could progress towards establishing air taxi services across Japan.

Archer CEO and founder Adam Goldstein said: “We’re proud of our continued partnership with Soracle and applaud their latest milestone securing air taxi rights in Osaka.

“It was an honour to host Minister Nakano and the Japanese delegation this past week, and I look forward to deepening our relationship in the country as we build the foundation for commercial air taxi services in Japan.”

Recently, Archer Aviation announced its plans to join the White House's eVTOL Integration Pilot Programme (eIPP), partnering with US airlines and various cities.