Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Marubeni Corporation, a leading Japanese trading company, has entered into a strategic partnership with Lift Aircraft.
Lift, which is headquartered in Austin, Texas, is developing the Hexa personal aerial vehicle. The partnership will involve joint initiatives in market research, regulatory negotiations, and the potential for preorders of up to a hundred aircraft, pending approval from the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB).
In the United States, the one-seater Hexa is classified as an ultralight vehicle by the Federal Aviation Administration, which exempts it from the requirement for a pilot’s license.
Marubeni and Lift have previously orchestrated public flights of the Hexa in Japan, notably in front of Osaka Castle this March. These demonstrations took place in the absence of a specific regulatory framework for eVTOLs in Japan, but JCAB rigorously evaluated the aircraft’s safety, testing program, and flight capabilities before granting permission for the demonstrations.
Matt Chasen, CEO of Lift Aircraft, expressed his satisfaction with the partnership, stating, “We are thrilled to join forces with Marubeni Corporation, a distinguished leader in the global market, to realize the potential of this technology in Japan and throughout the world.”
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