Lexus takes flight, will soon offer helicopter services

Lexus is best known for its cars, but it also dabbles in luxury yachts and will soon reach for the sky.

On August 24 the company will reveal its new Lexus Flight helicopter service. We'll have to wait until later this month to find out more, because right now the company is only talking about it in the broadest terms.

Lexus promises the new service will mean land, sea, and air will be "seamlessly connected" with "travel time... dramatically transformed into a uniquely personal and memorable experience".

The red helicopter pictured here could well be the first Italian-made, Lexus-branded vehicle. According to the company, it's a Leonardo AW169 that seats a maximum of seven passengers, and is powered by two Pratt & Whitney turboshaft engines.

It features Wi-Fi connectivity, and a tablet to operate the climate control system, cabin lighting, and the on-board entertainment system. It can also be used to view a live flight map, and the helicopter's external cameras.

The AW169's cruising speed is said to be 267km/h, and the maximum range is 785km. That's enough range to take you from central Tokyo to the northern island of Hokkaido (just), or almost to the south-western tip of the main island of Honshu.

Lexus Flight will be operated by Aero Toyota, so it's likely services will only be available in Japan, at least initially. 

Aero Toyota was founded in 1955 as Asahi Helicopter. The company tried its hand at regional airline services in the late 1980s, but it was largely a failure and by 1991 the company sold the division to flag carrier JAL. 

With parent company Seibu under financial stress, the company was sold to Toyota in 1997 and renamed to Aero Toyota in 2025. The division now mainly specialises in helicopter and private jet charter services, pilot training, and map production.

Lexus was founded in 1989 as Toyota's luxury brand, and burst onto the scene with the now-iconic first-generation LS.

It branched out into luxury boats in 2018 when it revealed the 20m-long LY650, which is actually built and serviced by a specialist boat maker in Wisconsin. This was followed up in 2024 by the even larger LY680 that's made in Taiwan.

MORE: Explore the Lexus showroom