ANA Holdings, Joby partner with Nomura Real Estate Development for vertiports in Japan

ANA Holdings Inc and Joby Aviation Inc, a company developing all-electric aircraft for commercial passenger service, have announced a partnership with Nomura Real Estate Development Co Ltd, one of Japan's largest real estate developers, on the development of take-off and landing infrastructure to support the commercialization of its electric air taxi service across Japan.

As part of the agreement, the three companies will jointly explore the design, location, operation, and financing of vertiport locations that will serve as the backbone of future commercial air taxi services in Japan. The partners will also engage with communities to ensure air taxi services are welcomed by communities and tailored to fit their desires.

The partners will primarily focus on locations in the metropolitan areas such as Tokyo, expanding over time to include numerous urban areas across greater Japan. Joby recently became a technical advisor to the Tokyo Bay eSG Project, led by NRE and sponsored by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which will study various multi-modal mobility solutions including a floating landing port in the Tokyo Bay.

ANA and Joby first partnered in 2022 to bring electric air taxi services to Japan. Both Joby and ANA are members of Japan's Public-Private Conference for the Future Air Mobility Revolution, established by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to accelerate the adoption of aerial ridesharing in the country.

Joby's electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft can carry a pilot and four passengers at speeds of up to 200 mph, offering high-speed mobility with a fraction of the noise produced by helicopters and no in-flight emissions.