On August 27, IHI and Shizuoka Prefecture signed a cooperation agreement aimed at realizing rooftop-mounted landing and takeoff fields and implementing next-generation air mobility into society.
<From left: Masao Akamatsu, President of IHI Transport Machinery; Kiyoshi Nihei, Managing Director; Yasutomo Suzuki, Governor of Shizuoka Prefecture; and Nobuyuki Tanaka, Head of Digital Strategy Department, Planning Division>
IHI Transport Machinery, a group company of IHI, is a leading company that provides parking systems such as mechanical parking systems and self-propelled parking lots.
In 2019, the company developed Japan's first logistics drone port that enables unmanned delivery of goods from drones to autonomous vehicles. Since then, it has been exploring new ways to implement air mobility in society, such as drone-based transportation businesses and landing/takeoff areas for next-generation air mobility utilizing rooftops in urban areas.
Meanwhile, in December 2024, Shizuoka Prefecture formulated the "Roadmap for Promoting the Introduction of Next-Generation Air Mobility." The project has been promoted through two pillars: "Promoting social implementation by use case (application)" and "Promoting related industries."
Within this framework, one of the goals for improving the environment is to begin using a rooftop-mounted landing and takeoff area by fiscal year 2029. This aligned with IHI Transport Machinery's track record and the direction of its air mobility business, leading to the signing of the agreement.
<Rooftop-mounted next-generation air mobility landing and takeoff area (image)>
The main areas of collaboration include five items: identifying issues related to the maintenance and operation of landing and takeoff fields, verifying aircraft operation processes, and working towards creating new systems and rules regarding landing and takeoff fields.
The IHI Group states that through this agreement, it will contribute to the social implementation of next-generation air mobility in Shizuoka Prefecture.
