Solyu has pre-ordered up to 50 SkyDrive three-seater eVTOL aircraft, which is currently in the process of acquiring Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) certification. Solyu is run by a team with decades of experience in the aircraft leasing and finance industry with a focus on providing customers with zero emissions electric air vehicles.
In Korea, the metropolitan area faces a problem of severe traffic congestion, and the government formed the Korea Urban Air Mobility (K‑UAM) Roadmap, expecting that the time and social costs can be reduced by 70%.
The government also promotes a plan for a public-private joint demonstration project, the K‑UAM Grand Challenge. Solyu believes it is important to promote the use of electric, zero-emission vehicles in Korea to accelerate the K‑UAM goal and agreed on the pre-order of SkyDrive eVTOL.
SkyDrive and Solyu continue to evaluate commercial eVTOL projects such as vertiports, routes, infrastructure requirements and ecosystems, with the Korean government and other interested stakeholders to launch new mobility solutions in Korea.
Solyu president Andrew Claerbout commented: “The eVTOL market will bring opportunities for reducing global emissions and improving traveller convenience. We are honoured to work with SkyDrive and the award-winning SD-05 to develop this global market.”
SkyDrive CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa added: “We are pleased to have received a pre-order in Korea following Vietnam and the U.S. This is the first preorder from a leasing company, and we are very grateful to be able to proceed with the Solyu team with its extensive experience in the aircraft leasing industry.
“We look forward to working with Solyu to open up the Korean market and contribute the goal of reducing CO2 emissions in the Korean aviation sector.”
The SkyDrive eVTOL is a three-seat, electrically-powered lightweight aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing capabilities. Flown by a pilot, its flight stability is enhanced with a fly-by-wire control system. It is being developed with a vision to realise a world where they are used in daily life for air mobility much as automobiles are used for daily ground transportation.
Last week, Eviation Aircraft announced that Solyu signed a letter of intent for 25 commuter Alice aircraft with options for 25 additional aircraft, stating that its order book has now surpassed $5 billion.
Credit to: Boris Sedacca, eVTOL Insights.com