China clears US$70 billion ‘low-altitude economy’ for take-off with promise of minimal interference

Name: Autonomous drones fly through Chinese bamboo forest
Uploaded: 2024-04-01T13:00:16.000Z
Duration: 1 min 38 s
Description: Autonomous drones fly through Chinese bamboo forest

China says ‘low-altitude economy’, industries related to low-altitude vehicles, will be supported both directly and through less restrictive approach

Field’s market value has gone up quickly as drones, other craft have seen broader applications, with more likely on the way

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Low-altitude vehicles like drones are becoming a major market segment in China’s pursuit of tech advancement as well as economic growth. Photo: Roy Issa

Sylvia Ma

Published: 9:00pm, 1 Apr 2024

Beijing has given the green light for more activity by drones and other aerial vehicles, an act which has triggered enthusiasm for the vast potential offered by the technology regarded as essential for boosting the country’s already soaring “low-altitude economy”.

“[We] will continuously improve support services for low-altitude flight activities, including plan approval, air traffic management, meteorological services, communication and surveillance,” said Sun Wensheng, deputy director of the department of general affairs at the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

The civil aviation regulator will also refine the airworthiness certification system for unmanned aircraft to expedite low-altitude economic development and coordinate policy, he said at a press conference on Friday.

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Autonomous drones fly through Chinese bamboo forest

His comments came amid a multifaceted effort by China to bolster what it terms the “low-altitude economy”, which Beijing listed as a strategic emerging industry at the tone-setting central economic work conference in December.

The term refers to a wide range of industries related to vehicles, both manned and unmanned, generally operating below an altitude of 1,000 metres.

The scale of this sector grew by 33.8 per cent year on year in 2023 to 506 billion yuan (US$70 billion) and is expected to surpass 1 trillion yuan by 2026, according to a report released by a research institute under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on Monday.

A nine-page guideline for the general aviation industry, released by the MIIT and other agencies, showed Beijing aimed to jump-start supply and innovation in general aviation equipment by 2027, with commercial applications in fields like urban air transport, logistics and emergency rescue.