The Augusta Regional Airport (AGS), Japanese flying car company SkyDrive Inc. and private air charter company Bravo Air are partnering to bring an airborne taxi service to Augusta.
The Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center hosted the fifth annual Innovation Xchange Forum on Thursday. The one-day event, coordinated by AGS and aeronautics business incubator SkyWorx, featured presentations and demonstrations by experts and aerospace industry leaders about unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and cybersecurity.
As the symposium was nearing its lunch hour, AGS and Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) held a media conference announcing they would be entering a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaborate on research and development initiatives.
“We’re focusing on cultivating partnerships that will keep the airport on the cutting edge of the industry that’s before us here,” said Augusta Aviation Commission Chair Dan Troutman.
AGS and SRNL will begin this partnership by building multi-use hangars for a research and development lab, STEM facilities for students, UAS working space and training space for advanced air mobility pilots.
“This memorandum of understanding establishes a partnership… that will allow Augusta to be a leader in the field of aerospace technologies (that are) continuing to develop, which is critically important,” said Mayor Garnett Johnson. He also noted that the agreement helps “create pathways to higher earning jobs to entice our students to remain in this region.”
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Following the MOU signing, SkyDrive, a sponsor of the Xchange Forum, announced its own joint project with Bravo Air to develop commercial use cases from Augusta Regional Airport.
SkyDrive, based in Toyota City, Japan, manufactures eco-friendly electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircrafts. Its partnership with Bravo Air, which is based at Augusta Regional, entails the air charter service operator signing a letter of intent to purchase five of these aircraft.
“Bravo Air is honored to partner with SkyDrive in bringing a brighter, cleaner future to aviation with their highly developed [advanced air] technology,” said Dann Standard, vice president of operations.
Arnaud Coville, SkyDrive’s chief development officer that between production, flight tests and certifications, SkyDrive’s vehicles are expected to fly above the Garden City in late 2026 or early 2027.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
