Supernal, Hyundai Motor Group’s (HMG’s) Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) company – and Clay Lacy Aviation have announced a partnership at 2024 NBAA-BACE to prepare Clay Lacy’s fixed-base operator (FBO) locations for electric vertical and take-off landing (eVTOL) operations. This marks Supernal’s first official FBO partnership, which will benefit future operators of the company’s eVTOL vehicles.
As part of the five-year partnership, Supernal and Clay Lacy will develop end-to-end operational plans for integrating AAM into existing airport infrastructure, with a focus on developing standards and procedures for ground handling, MRO and battery management. Supernal will also support Clay Lacy’s work to integrate sufficient power and charging infrastructure for electric aviation. Initially, the partnership will focus on two of Clay Lacy’s FBO locations: SNA (Orange County) and VNY (Van Nuys), which aligns with Supernal’s Southern California launch plans. In subsequent phases, the companies will apply their best practices and learnings to prepare Clay Lacy’s broader FBO network for AAM.
Furthermore, another partnership this time with Blade Urban Air Mobility is set to explore opportunities to develop AAM networks and fleet operations. This will include studying varied AAM use cases in markets of shared interest and will further inform Supernal’s electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle product.
As part of the three-year agreement, Supernal and Blade will leverage each other’s expertise in aviation, technology and infrastructure access to further develop the AAM sector and exchange knowledge about the companies’ respective products, services and capabilities. Specifically, Supernal – as an eVTOL OEM – will provide insights on technological and operational nuances to support the development of Blade’s future AAM service offerings. Blade – as an established air transport platform – and its operator partners will provide Supernal with feedback on aircraft design and safety, upgradeability, passenger comfort and flexibility for various operating markets.
