Japan hopes to have air taxis flying by 2027

Japanese airline ANA and California-based Joby Aviation have announced plans to form a joint venture to deploy more than 100 five-seater aircraft. An ANA spokesperson told AFP that the aircraft, designed to carry a pilot and up to four passengers at speeds of up to 320 km/h, could enter service as early as 2027.

These flying taxis will "revolutionize our air mobility," ANA CEO Koji Shibata said in a statement Tuesday. The project primarily involves routes between Tokyo and Narita and Haneda international airports, which serve the Japanese capital.

Currently, a car or train ride between central Tokyo and Narita takes more than an hour, but Joby's five-seater vehicle can cut that time to about 15 minutes, ANA said. ANA and Joby will conduct a public demonstration of these flying vehicles at Expo Osaka in October.

“Where ancient wisdom, legendary craftsmanship, and transcendent ambition come together – that’s Japan,” said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby Aviation. “And that makes it an extraordinary launchpad to redefine the future of air mobility.”

Joby's devices take off vertically, like a helicopter, then transition to forward flight like an airplane "with minimal acoustic impact and zero operational emissions," according to the company. In December, flying taxi startup Volocopter announced it was filing for bankruptcy, days after another German flying taxi company, Lilium, was saved from bankruptcy.

Volocopter had aimed to enter the market in 2025 with its two-seater electric air taxi model "Volocity." It suffered a symbolic setback in the summer of 2024, when test flights originally planned for Paris during the Olympic Games were canceled at the last minute after certification of its aircraft engine failed to arrive in time.