Kakao Mobility has pre-ordered "up to 50" of Vertical Aerospace's VX4 electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
Described by Vertical as "the largest mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) platform in South Korea", Kakao operates the country's most-used taxi-hailing app.
UK-based Vertical said the deal is its first partnership with a mobility technology company, with the potential to "leverage their existing customer base and vehicle network to create a seamless air-to-ground passenger journey and UAM [urban air mobility] ecosystem in the country".
“With its over 30 million registered users, Kakao Mobility is the go-to choice to ‘hail a ride’ and with our partnership, we look forward to people across South Korea being able to fly in a VX4 in the years to come," said Stephen Fitzpatrick, Vertical’s founder and chief executive.
The new partners are to set up a joint working group to "drive the commercialisation of AAM services in South Korea, including the exploration of network and fleet planning, infrastructure requirements, regulatory development, and consumer awareness of eVTOL mobility solutions".
"We are excited to take part in Vertical Aerospace’s mission to launch its VX4 globally and to bring an UAM service to Korean market. We will be expanding our business not only on the ground but to the sky through this partnership," said Alex Ryu, chief executive of Kakao Mobility.