China's low-altitude economy takes flight: A new engine for innovation-driven growth

Imagine ordering a hot pear soup on the Great Wall and having it delivered via a drone in just six minutes — or zipping from Shenzhen to Zhuhai in 20 minutes by air taxi instead of a three-hour road trip. These scenes, once futuristic, are becoming daily realities as China's low-altitude economy transitions from blueprint to benchmark, reshaping urban life and industrial landscapes.

Designated as an emerging sector in the government work reports over the past two years, the low-altitude economy has soared into the spotlight, contributing over 505.95 billion yuan ($69.8 billion) to the GDP last year with a 33.8% growth. Projections suggest the sector will surpass three trillion yuan by 2030, cementing its role as a hallmark of China's new quality productive forces. Thirty provinces have integrated low-altitude initiatives into development plans, while six cities — Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Hefei, Suzhou, Chengdu, and Chongqing — have been selected as pilot cities for opening airspace below 600 meters.

Shenzhen: Pioneering the future of low-altitude economy

Shenzhen now boasts the world's most complete and comprehensive drone industrial chain. It holds 70% of the global consumer drone market, hosting over 1,700 enterprises including industry giants like DJI and Phoenix Wings.
In 2024, Shenzhen's low-altitude economy achieved an annual output exceeding 90 billion RMB, with over 200 drone routes in operation and 780,000 cargo flights completed across the sector, covering areas like logistics, urban governance and medical emergency services. CASETiFY and Phoenix Wings launched the city's first low-altitude logistics corporate dedicated route, ensuring next-day delivery for 96% of cross-city orders, significantly enhancing the shopping experience for customers.

Hangzhou: Elevating tourism and tech

As early as 2018, the first urban drone logistics test route was opened in the Hangzhou Future Sci-Tech City. In late 2024, Hangzhou launched its first aerial terminal, located atop the Shimao Riverfront Wisdom Towers in Binjiang District. The terminal offers passengers one-stop services with ticketing, security checks and boarding all available in one location, enabling 5-minute cross-district flights and a 40-minute "sky corridor" air business circle connecting the Yangtze River Delta region.

During the Chinese New Year holiday of 2025, Hangzhou Shangcheng District debuted the CityFly Night Tour, offering visitors a rare chance to enjoy a dazzling 15-minute helicopter ride soaring past Hangzhou's most iconic landmarks like the Olympic Sports Expo City, Qiantang River bridges, Liuhe Pagoda and West Lake, which captures Hangzhou's ancient heritage as well as its futuristic dynamism. This innovative "low-altitude plus cultural tourism" concept is part of Hangzhou's "water-land-air" tourism to improve visitors' experiences. It further expands the application scenarios for low-altitude economy development.

Chinese tech soars globally

Breakthroughs by Chinese enterprises in the eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) sector have attracted global attention. EH216-S, a passenger-carrying unmanned aerial vehicle from Ehang Holdings Limited, has obtained the world's first type certificate for unmanned eVTOL. With a speed of 200km/h and a flight range of 250km, AutoFlight's eVTOL aircraft Prosperity has become a popular choice in the international air taxi market. One of its customers is planning unmanned demonstration eVTOL flights at the 2025 Osaka World Expo.

DJI agriculture drones are widely utilized in agricultural and logistics services in Europe and Mexico, while Keeta Drone from Chinese technology giant Meituan has obtained UAE's first commercial license for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone deliveries, which allows the company to conduct delivery services in Dubai. China has also helped build automated "airports" in Dubai, contributing to the development of low-altitude logistics networks across the Middle East.

The sky is no limit

From reducing traffic congestion to enabling disaster response, China's low-altitude economy isn't just about tech — it's rewriting urban governance models. With its "technological innovation — application scenario — policy support" triad, China is transitioning from a late comer to a global pacesetter. As cross-border collaborations deepen, this sector promises to become the next highlight after high-speed rail and EVs, proving once again that China can deliver more benefits to not only its own people but also to the people all over the world.

The runway is clear; the ascent has begun.

The author is a Beijing-based political commentator. The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

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