SkyDrive Inc. (“SkyDrive”), a leading compact eVTOL (*1) aircraft developer based in Japan, is pleased to announce the successful completion of a promotional event held together with leading Indonesian helicopter operator Whitesky Aviation, at Whitesky’s Cengkareng Heliport, strategically located next to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta. The event, held over two days from June 23 to June 24. confirmed demand for the aircraft from potential customers in the mining and agriculture industries, as well as among government organizations.
SkyDrive sees opportunities for growth in Indonesia due to a combination of factors which affect standards of living and productivity in both urban and rural areas. The Jakarta metropolitan area experiences annual economic losses from traffic congestion estimated at approximately 65 trillion rupiah (*2). Both the mining industry (a major industry in various Indonesian regions accounting in total for approximately 10% of regional GDP (*3)) and Indonesia’s vast agricultural plantations (which exceed 15 million hectares in area (*4)) are affected by logistics and disaster response delays resulting from underdeveloped infrastructure.
At the above event, SkyDrive exhibited a full-scale mockup of the “SKYDRIVE (SkyDrive Model SD-05)” outside Japan for the first time, presenting the attendees with various proposals for specific practical eVTOL applications aimed at resolving the social challenges Indonesia is working to resolve.
The History of Cooperation between SkyDrive and Whitesky
SkyDrive and Whitesky entered a strategic alliance for the launch of eVTOL operations in Indonesia back in August 2025 (*5). Since then, both parties have been working together to discuss the future of the business and develop specific business plans.
The cooperation between the two companies began with a focus on resolving the extreme chronic traffic problems that currently affect quality of life in Jakarta. One specific issue caused by congestion is the slow speed of road travel between Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and the city center. As Whitesky runs the Cengkareng Heliport, conveniently located next to the airport, air taxi services between the airport and the city center formed a natural starting point for discussions on the future feasibility of urban eVTOL routes.
Talks between SkyDrive and Whitesky on alleviating urban traffic congestion were followed by further investigations into the potential role of eVTOL in supporting the mining and agricultural industries that play such an important role in driving the sustainable development of Indonesia’s economy.
While natural resource mining is a key industry on Indonesian islands including Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Sumatra, mining sites are frequently located in areas with limited road infrastructure leading to logistical inefficiencies and delays in providing medical treatment to the victims of the industrial accidents in these areas, which may occur as frequently as a few times per week.
Alongside mining, both companies are also investigating potential for cooperation in the agricultural sector due to the huge size of Indonesia’s many agricultural plantations. While drones are currently used for spotting forest fires and wide-ranging surveillance patrols, the large distances involved can limit effective drone deployment.
As talks between SkyDrive and Whitesky moved beyond urban air taxi services to encompass eVTOL services for regional industries, it became clear that eVTOLs offer potential for reduced operating costs and lower environmental impact in both scenarios. With this in mind, the current event was held to build momentum towards specific eVTOL usage cases in these fields.
Proposed Use Cases
Following initial discussions focusing on the usage of eVTOL aircraft for urban air taxi services, SkyDrive and Whitesky are now moving forward with concrete investigations into eVTOL applications in various major regional industries as described below.
Urban air taxi services in and around metropolitan Jakarta
Rapid transit services, which can avoid urban traffic congestion, for passengers travelling between Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and central Jakarta, including the nearby smart city.
Mining industry applications on the islands of Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Sumatra
Services for mining sites that require long car or bus journeys due to poor road access. These services may include shuttle services for engineers and other employees travelling to mining sites, and provision of emergency medical services equivalent to medical helicopter services, as required in response to industrial accidents and natural disasters.
Applications within large scale palm oil, paper and sugar plantations
Site monitoring and patrol services, as required by the owners and operators of large agricultural plantations. Maximum flight distance limits the effectiveness of drone surveillance of extremely large plantations. eVTOLs can also play a role in rapidly detecting and tackling the forest fires that frequently affect plantations, particularly in the dry season.
Currently, conventional helicopters are used to provide some of the above services. Switching these helicopters to eVTOLs will allow for lower operating costs, fewer emissions, and quieter operations.
Event Summary
Event dates: June 23. 2026 (Tue.) – June 24. 2026 (Wed.)
Venue: Cengkareng Heliport, Jakarta, Indonesia
Major participants
Indonesian government officials from the ministries responsible for transport, economy, trade and industry
Major mining companies
Representatives of major agricultural plantations
Representatives of the aerospace industry
At the event, senior representatives of the Indonesian government and private sector companies were able to experience first-hand the size and comfort of a mockup of the SKYDRIVE (SD-05), which was on exhibit outside Japan for the first time. SkyDrive was able to confirm the strong level of interest among attendees over the respective roles that the aircraft can play in Indonesia’s urban and rural areas. Some attendees shared enthusiastic feedback, noting: “The diverse range of potential business cases within Indonesia provides ample opportunity for the future introduction of SkyDrive’s eVTOL aircraft, with potential applications including shuttle operations for mining companies, land surveillance for large agricultural holdings, and avoidance of traffic congestion in urban areas” and “we can see great potential in the aircraft as an economic alternative to helicopters and also as a means to create new industrial value through advanced technology”.
Comments
Mr. Muhammad Neil El Himam, Deputy Chairman for Digital and Technology Creativity at The Ministry of Creative Economy/Agency for Creative Economy:
The next-generation Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and eVTOL technologies developed by SkyDrive represent a ‘new face’ that brings innovation to our creative economy. We are confident that the introduction of SkyDrive’s advanced technology will go beyond a mere evolution in transportation, creating immense economic value through new intellectual property and specialized jobs. For Indonesia to become a nation capable of developing and managing new technologies, it is essential for global companies like SkyDrive and local partners to unite in building a ‘complete ecosystem’ through industry-academia-government collaboration. We welcome and will strongly support SkyDrive’s continuous challenge to propel the future of mobility.
Mr. Sokhib Al Rokhman, S.SiT., S.T., M.T.,
Director of Airworthiness and Aircraft Operations, Ministry of Transportation of the Republic of Indonesia
Our country welcomes new technologies in next-generation mobility, and we highly evaluate the initiatives taken by private sectors. While there will be absolutely no compromise on aviation safety and security, we are prepared to flexibly advance our regulatory framework. This includes utilizing existing structures and providing multiple airports as regulatory sandboxes for demonstration trials. To facilitate the introduction of foreign-made aircraft such as SkyDrive, we hope to conclude an agreement on the type certification validation process with the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in the future to ensure smooth cooperation. In alignment with the company’s plan to launch commercial operations as early as 2029. we will fully commit ourselves over the next three years to developing the necessary regulations for safe commercial operations.
Future Developments
Through this event, SkyDrive and Whitesky gathered data on potential eVTOL applications in various industries, including the transportation of personnel and goods, emergency medical services, and land surveillance. This data will be harnessed for the various feasibility tests required to prepare for commercialization. Both companies will also work together, through public-private cooperation with the Indonesian government, to develop the processes required for the certification of eVTOL aircraft in Indonesia. The first step toward commercial services in Indonesia is to prepare the infrastructure and operational systems needed to support commercial eVTOL flights in the mining areas in Kalimantan and urban air taxi services in and around Jakarta.