Osaka names Japan Airlines’ and Sumitomo Corporation’s JV, Soracle, with Archer’s Midnight aircraft as its air taxi partner

Soracle, a joint venture between Japan Airlines and Sumitomo Corporation, has been named to lead the establishment of air taxi services in the Osaka Prefecture. This makes Archer the only U.S. eVTOL manufacturer set to play a key role in the establishment of air taxi services in Osaka. With Soracle’s intention to deploy Archer’s 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. Archer and Soracle recently displayed Archer’s Midnight aircraft at the Osaka Kansai World Expo to showcase its planned future air taxi service in the Kansai region.

From high-speed rail to modern aviation infrastructure, Japan has long been a global pioneer in adoption of advanced transportation systems. Now, with the imminent commercialization of eVTOL aircraft, the country is once again poised to be an early adopter in the next generation of air transportation.

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.

Archer CEO and Founder Adam Goldstein commented: “We’re proud of our continued partnership with Soracle, and applaud their latest milestone securing air taxi rights in Osaka. It was an honor 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.”

Soracle CEO Yukihiro Ota stated: “We are honored to announce the partnership agreement with Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City to realize our commercial eVTOL air taxi service in the region. Thanks to Archer’s dedicated and continuous cooperation and support, we are confident that we can achieve this goal and realize the social implementation together with Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City.”