Skyports, a UK-based drone logistics company, has partnered with Kanematsu Corporation, a Japanese trading company, to launch commercial advanced air mobility (AMM) in Japan by deploying both passenger and cargo transport solutions.

The duo first partnered in 2020, focusing on vertiports (vertical landing and take-off sites) infrastructure and research; however, the partnership has now extended to include drone-based deliveries.

Given the local presence of Kanematsu, Skyports believes that the partnership would allow the company to understand local regulations and other factors as it commercializes the service in Japan.

Earlier this month, the German drone delivery provider Wingcopter announced a collaboration with All Nippon Airways to build a drone-based delivery network for pharmaceuticals and other consumer goods in Japan. In March, the US-based drone delivery company Zipline also announced a partnership with the Toyota Tsusho Corporation to deliver medical supplies using drones to remote areas in Japan. Another US-based rival, Matternet, also expanded to Japan last September via a partnership with Japan Airlines to deliver medical supplies starting in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

Skyports owns and operates both passenger and cargo vertiports for urban aviation and manages end-to-end drone deliveries for the medical, e-commerce, and logistics industries. The company has partnerships with Swoop Aero, a number of healthcare organizations, and is a member of the consortium of companies led by Royal Mail in various drone-based delivery trials in the UK and Scotland. It currently has projects including vertiport site acquisition and infrastructure development across multiple continents, including in Europe, North America, Asia, Australia, and Africa.