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’s (Santa Clara, Calif., U.S.) partner,  (Tokyo, Japan) — a joint venture between Japan Airlines and Sumitomo Corp. —  has been named to lead the establishment of air taxi services in Osaka Prefecture. This is said to make Archer the only electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) manufacturer in the U.S. so far set to play a key role in the establishment of air taxi services in Osaka.

With Soracle’s intention to deploy Archer’s composites-intensive Midnight aircraft as the core part of its fleet, its agreements with the Osaka Prefecture and Osaka city represent a critical step toward building out the operational, regulatory and community frameworks needed to connect Osaka and the broader Kansai region with quiet, sustainable and safe air taxi flights.

Archer and Soracle previously announced a strategic alliance in November 2024 to jointly launch air taxi operations in Japan, with the goal of offering services in cities where existing ground transportation is constrained by traffic or geographic barriers. From high-speed rail to modern aviation infrastructure, Japan has long adopted advanced transportation systems. 

Separately, this past week, a delegation from Japan, including Hiromasa Nakano, the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism; the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau; and the Consul General of Japan in San Francisco visited Archer’s headquarters for a briefing with Archer’s leadership, to discuss how the parties can realize air taxi services across the country.