Wisk teams with JAL to prepare air taxi service launch in Japan

Boeing-backed air taxi developer Wisk Aero says it has entered an agreement with Japan Airlines (JAL) to facilitate certification and eventual introduction of its autonomous passenger aircraft across the archipelago.

Wisk says the accord comes in the form of a memorandum of understanding with JAL, covering several aspects of the California air taxi maker’s entry and operation in Japan. That agreement notably does not include JAL committing to purchase any Wisk craft at this juncture – despite the airline’s declared intention of launching urban air mobility services at some point. But it is intended to help Wisk obtain certification in the country, and prepare servicing of its planes once they’re transporting passengers.

For starters, the memorandum calls for the airline’s maintenance and repair affiliate JAL Engineering (JALEC) to collaborate with Wisk in creating a support and servicing network necessary to operate its four-passenger, pilot-free air taxis in the country. It similarly commits Japan’s flag carrier and largest air transporter to assisting the startup prepare for and orchestrate demonstration flights in the run-up to its commercial service launch.

The agreement also establishes a collaborative relationship between Wisk, JAL, and the Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) to map out and pursue the Mountain View-based company’s air taxi certification process in Japan. 

Read: Joby, All Nippon Airways team up in eVTOL air taxi venture

Wisk CEO Brian Yutko says having such an influential partner and ally assisting its entry into Japan – as well as its interfacing with the nation’s regulators – will provide a boost to its efforts to roll out air taxi services in the country and across the Asia-Pacific area (APAC).

“We are excited to be partnering with Japan Airlines, a highly-respected leader in aviation both in Japan and globally,” says Yutko. “Wisk and Japan Airlines share a commitment to safe, accessible transportation and to ensuring that our services provide long-term benefit to the communities that we serve. We look forward to working together to bring autonomous everyday flight to Japan and to further advancing advanced air mobility in the broader APAC region.” 

In addition to its focus on Japan as a major air taxi market, Wisk is also preparing future activity in APAC countries Australia and New Zealand, as well as its domestic US market.

Read: Wisk prepares for self-flying air taxi service in Oz’s Queensland

Its new ties to Wisk, meanwhile, marks JAL’s expansion in the air taxi sector, where it is also a shareholder and partner with German company Volocopter. It has also revealed plans to buy or lease up to 100 craft made by UK developer Vertical Aerospace through the leasing company Avolon.