Electric airplane manufacturer Archer Aviation has signed an agreement with Soracle, a joint venture of Japan Airlines and global general trading company Sumitomo, to sell up to 100 Midnight aircraft, totaling approximately $500 million.

Soracle plans to offer electric air taxi flights in cities with traffic constraints or geographic barriers. Locations could include Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Hokkaido, Setouchi and Okinawa. 

The eVTOL Midnight has a top speed of up to 150 mph and is claimed to be, at cruising altitude, 100 times quieter than a helicopter. It is designed to carry up to four passengers with carry-on luggage on back-to-back flights of 20-50 miles with minimal charging time between them.

Archer and Soracle plan to conduct a public flight demonstration of the service at the upcoming World Expo 2025 in Osaka.

“Japan is widely respected for its forward-thinking approach to transportation, and this investment into advanced air mobility is yet another example of that,” said Andrew Cummins, Senior Director of Business Development at Archer.

Source: Archer