SkyDrive Strengthens Executive Leadership to Accelerate Global Commercialization and Business Expansion

SkyDrive Inc. (“SkyDrive”), a leading compact eVTOL (*1) aircraft manufacturer based in Japan, announced the appointments of Taiji Ono as executive vice president and head of global business, and Gonzalo Ramos as global commercial officer.

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Taiji Ono (Left) and Gonzalo Ramos (Right)

Under this new executive leadership structure, SkyDrive will accelerate its preparations for commercial operation and service launches in Japan and around the world, specifically advancing route development and establishing operational frameworks.

Background

SkyDrive has been accelerating aircraft development — including successful high-speed flight tests (*2) — and type certification activities with the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) (*3). Concurrently, commercialization initiatives are gaining momentum globally.

To date, SkyDrive has partnered with airlines, operators, local governments, and business partners across 10 countries to develop routes and evaluate specific use cases. Aircraft sales efforts are also advancing, with pre-orders and letters of intent (LOIs) totaling 451 aircraft for the SKYDRIVE (SD-05 model).

In the next phase of its expansion, SkyDrive is focusing on establishing specific operational routes across target regions, strengthening strategic partnerships, driving commercial sales contracts, and building post-delivery operational support systems alongside its ongoing aircraft development and certification efforts.

To lead these initiatives, SkyDrive has reinforced its management structure by appointing Ono as executive vice president and Ramos as global commercial officer, both of whom bring extensive track records in global business development and commercial expansion.

Roles and Executive Profiles

Taiji Ono
Executive Vice President, Head of Global Business

• Role & Responsibilities
  Ono oversees global business strategy, commercial models, and sales strategy worldwide, including Japan. Within the Japanese market, he leads public-private partnerships and government affairs to advance policies for industry growth and the integration of eVTOL technology into society.

• Biography
  Taiji Ono joined Toyota Motor Corporation in 2005 after graduating from university. Throughout his tenure, he held roles in sales and sales planning, where he managed product planning, sales promotions, and supply-demand policies, as well as led planning for new vehicle models and mobility services. In 2014, he transitioned to a full-time role within the labor union, serving as vice president, where he led organizational policy formulation centered on digitalization and carbon neutrality. He subsequently joined the Executive Support & Government Affairs team, playing a pivotal role in negotiations with government agencies including the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and industry associations, while contributing to company-wide battery electric vehicle (BEV) strategy. Following a nearly 17-year career at Toyota Motor Corporation, he joined a data platform company in 2022. As Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) and General Manager of Business Development, he oversaw all business operations, including sales, business development, global expansion, and government relations.

• Comment
  "Just as automobiles gave people freedom of movement, advanced air mobility has the potential to redefine the very nature of human mobility. Over nearly 17 years at Toyota Motor Corporation, I was involved in planning vehicles and new mobility services, as well as driving company-wide carbon neutrality strategies and organizational transformation. Later, as an executive member at a startup, I led global strategy and drove product adoption among enterprise clients both in Japan and internationally. Leveraging my experience across both large corporations and startups, I will work hand-in-hand with Gonzalo, our global team, and colleagues across development, manufacturing, and corporate functions to bridge Japan and the world, as well as technology and business. My goal is to build a new, pioneering industry originating from Japan — including its supply chain—second only to the automotive industry, and to transform air mobility from an extraordinary experience into an everyday reality. I am excited to take on this challenge."

Gonzalo Ramos
Global Commercial Officer

• Role & Responsibilities
  Ramos leads commercial expansion across key international markets, including the United States, Middle East, Europe, and Australia. He is responsible for driving customer acquisition, closing aircraft sales contracts, and building post-delivery maintenance, repair, overhaul (MRO), and aftermarket support infrastructure and partnerships.

• Biography
  Gonzalo Ramos brings over 22 years of experience in commercial aviation, aircraft leasing and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). An aerospace engineer by training, he spent almost 18 years at Airbus commercial aircraft, progressing from aircraft customization engineering, through director roles in customer support and services to sales director in Miami, Florida. He then served as Vice President at Griffin Global Asset Management, structuring aircraft leasing transactions, before moving into advanced air mobility as head of business development and sales at Overair, and subsequently as vice president of commercialization, sales and partnerships at Supernal, where he led business development and sales, focusing on ecosystem partnerships, commercial strategy and product positioning. Ramos holds an MEng in Aeronautical Engineering and a master's degree in air transport management from City, University of London, and an MBA in finance from the Jack Welch Management Institute. He is fluent in English, Spanish, German and Portuguese.

• Comment
  "I am honored to join SkyDrive at such an important moment in the company's journey, and I could not be more pleased to be part of this team. SkyDrive has a rare combination: an aircraft designed around simplicity and real operating economics, a team with the discipline to certify it, and a manufacturing partner able to build it at scale. I am thrilled to support SkyDrive in converting the strong global interest we are seeing into firm commitments, building the partnerships and support infrastructure operators need in our markets, and making sure our customers succeed from the first day of service. This is also a responsibility to the industry as a whole. Advanced air mobility becomes real only when aircraft are safe, certified, affordable and genuinely useful to the communities they serve. I look forward to contributing to that with my colleagues at SkyDrive and with partners around the world."

Comment from Tomohiro Fukuzawa, CEO of SkyDrive Inc.

"As our aircraft development and certification processes steadily advance, interest and expectations from airlines and operators worldwide are growing rapidly. The coming year represents a pivotal phase for SkyDrive as we convert this momentum into firm commercial orders, sales contracts, and definitive commitments toward commercial operations. We are thrilled to welcome Taiji, who has demonstrated powerful leadership in global business development and public-private collaboration, and Gonzalo, who brings an outstanding commercial track record in the global aviation and mobility sectors. With their leadership, our entire team — including development, certification, and manufacturing — remains dedicated to pioneering new air mobility experiences and accelerating commercialization in Japan and globally."

About SkyDrive Inc.

SkyDrive is a Japanese compact eVTOL company aiming "to take the lead in the once-in-a-century mobility revolution." The company began testing eVTOL prototypes in 2014 prior to official incorporation in 2018. Under its future vision for urban transportation, flying in eVTOLs will become a regular part of city life. In 2019, SkyDrive became the first company to fly a crewed eVTOL in Japan. In 2025, the company successfully showcased SKYDRIVE, the company's first commercial eVTOL product, with demonstration flights at the Osaka Expo witnessed by thousands of visitors over a one-month period. SkyDrive began production of SKYDRIVE in March 2024 at a plant owned by Suzuki Motor Corporation, SkyDrive's official production partner. SkyDrive has been working with civil aviation authorities in Japan and the U.S. to obtain certification for SKYDRIVE, with the aim of launching the aircraft into service in 2028. SkyDrive is headquartered in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture and led by CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa, an engineer and entrepreneur.

For more information, please visit: https://skydrive.co.jp/en/

Editor’s Notes:
(*1) eVTOL is an abbreviation for electric vertical takeoff and landing. As the name suggests, eVTOL aircraft can take off and land without a runway. eVTOLs are powered by electricity and incorporate advanced, automatic, flight control technology.

(*2) Related Press Release: SkyDrive Reaches 100 km/h Milestone
https://skydrive.co.jp/en/news/71605/

(*3) Related Press Releases:
SkyDrive Reaches Agreement with Japan’s Civil Aviation Authority on its General Certification Plan, a Core Element of the Type Certification Process
https://skydrive.co.jp/en/news/17834/

SkyDrive Commences Formal Familiarization Meetings with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
https://skydrive.co.jp/en/news/72613/

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