Supernal, the advanced air mobility division of Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group, is partnering with Singapore officials to lay the groundwork for new eVTOL air services. On Tuesday at the Singapore Airshow, the company signed a pair of memorandums of understanding with the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS).
The partners have committed to working jointly on new research and development initiatives, identifying potential use cases for eVTOL aircraft, exchanging information to develop a regulatory framework, and expanding public awareness. Supernal, which is based in the U.S., is developing a vehicle called the S-A2 that will carry a pilot and four passengers on flights of up to around 60 miles on a single electric charge.
EDB officials have committed to tasks such as conducting market analyses and viability studies to support the case for introducing eVTOL operations in Singapore, and also at other locations in the Asia Pacific region. The studies will also consider service readiness involving aircraft assembly, operations, and maintenance, repair, and overhaul.
The CAAS is seeking input from Supernal on the framework for aircraft certification, validation, acceptance, and entry into service. Their joint work will also consider interoperability requirements at vertiports to support seamless integration of ground and air operations.
Singapore’s air safety regulator is also looking to consider infrastructure standards for advanced air mobility, including charging and electrical energy storage solutions. It also wants to work with Supernal to engage with other stakeholders for the required ecosystem.
“Advanced air mobility has the potential to be a new and exciting niche in Singapore’s aerospace sector, creating good business opportunities while also opening new alternatives for getting around the region,” said EDB managing director Jacqueline Poh. “As one of Asia’s leading aerospace ecosystems, Singapore offers global companies established capabilities, including a strong talent pool, to undertake a spectrum of activities across research and development, manufacturing and maintenance, repair and overhaul.”
CAAS director-general Han Kok Juan called for collaboration among regulators and industry stakeholders to develop and deploy the regulations needed to support the new sector of aviation efficiently. He said that the partnership with Supernal had begun with discussions at a meeting of Asia Pacific regulators held in Singapore in November 2023.