Hyundai Motor Group’s advanced air mobility subsidiary Supernal laid off 296 employees on February 27, 2026, cutting approximately 80% of its 380-person workforce. The California-based company, headquartered in Irvine, retained a skeleton crew of 70 to 80 staff to maintain core operations at facilities including Mojave Air & Space Port, Orange County, and Fremont.
The mass layoffs follow a series of setbacks. Supernal paused development of its S-A2 eVTOL aircraft in September 2025, after completing initial test flights of a technology demonstrator in 2024. The S-A2, designed for four passengers plus a pilot over distances up to 60 miles, targeted urban air mobility with a planned 2028 commercial launch now in doubt due to FAA certification delays and infrastructure challenges.
Executive departures preceded the cuts: CEO Jaiwon Shin left in August 2025, followed by CTO David McBride, Chief Strategy Officer Jaeyong Song, and CFO Iksoo Chun in early 2026. Hyundai has invested over $1.7 billion in Supernal since 2020, yet the unit posted cumulative losses exceeding $1.3 billion through late 2025, with no revenue amid high R&D costs.
Hyundai Motor Group maintains Supernal as its core AAM organization, stating the restructuring builds a foundation for long-term success in next-generation mobility. The move aligns with industry trends, as peers like Airbus, Textron, Lilium, and Volocopter halted or canceled eVTOL efforts citing technical risks and funding issues.