Visitors to the World Expo 2025 Osaka may be among the first people in the world to experience real-life applications of “flying taxis”, as electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft have come to be popularly known.
Joby Aviation and its partner in Japan, ANA Holdings (the parent company of All Nippon Airways) have been selected by the exhibition’s organizers, the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition to operate demonstration aerial air taxi flights using Joby’s all-electric four-seater eVTOLs.
Japan has long held a prominent place in Joby’s growth plans. The Californian startup was the first foreign eVTOL developer to start the certification process in the country and, through its partnership with ANA Holdings, it has already been working on a future Japanese rollout for at least a year.
28 million people are expected to visit the Expo 2025 Osaka, which, the companies involved in this project expect, will provide an interesting platform to showcase the nascent eVTOL technology.
Joby’s eVTOLs will connect the Expo with at least one other location in the Osaka area.