ARIAir Co., Ltd., which provides bespoke travel services for the wealthy in pursuit of a flying car society, has undertaken a strategic capital increase. Starting in April this year, the company implemented a third-party allotment of shares, raising funds from several individuals, including Yoshihiro Ooi.

Alila Inc. is a startup that aims to develop and manage the development of Metaport®, an infrastructure for drones and air mobility (flying vehicles), and an off-site takeoff and landing site where helicopters can take off and land.

In Japan, the drone system is currently being designed to achieve Level 4 (blind flight in urban areas) by 2022.

With the implementation of Level 4, we expect to see more examples of utilization in various forms, such as logistics and wide-area infrastructure inspections. As for flying cars, momentum is building for their social implementation in preparation for the Osaka-Kansai Expo in 2025. 

In order to promote the implementation of drones and flying vehicles in the future, it will be necessary to develop various systems as well as flying vehicle aircraft.

ARIAir, Inc. believes that the first step toward the realization of a flying car society is to secure locations throughout Japan where helicopters can take off and land (hereinafter referred to as "heliports") and to generate actual demand for helicopters. ARIAir", a web-based platform that enables online reservations for helicopter transport flights using heliports and helicopter tours throughout Japan.

In addition to transportation, the company is also developing a service to create a purpose for transportation centered on "food" through a business alliance with leading gourmet food website Gurunavi, Inc. The company is expanding content that makes air travel more accessible to users, such as "2 Michelin-starred restaurants by helicopter.

About Jiahong Oho.

Joined Toppan Printing in 1994, involved in planning and promotion of Internet business.
He was stationed on the West Coast of the U.S. from 1999 to 2002 and graduated first in his MBA class from the University of Rochester in 2004.
After returning to Japan, he was in charge of the administration department of the company's digital content business company, contributing to the growth of the business.
In 2007, he moved to Rakuten, where he was in charge of post-merger integration (PMI) of domestic and overseas acquired companies as a local director.
In 2011, he was appointed Executive Officer of Rakuten Group.
Rakuten Mobile (MVNO) business was launched in 2014 and reached the No. 1 market share in 2017.
Later, as Managing Executive Officer of Rakuten Mobile, he oversaw the sales and marketing divisions.
He joined Agoda, a Booking Holdings Group company, in March 2020. He is currently in charge of Japan, Korea, and Taiwan as the General Manager of North Asia, and also serves as the Representative Director of Agoda International Japan.