Low-altitude economy needs targeted policy support

Editor's note: The low-altitude economy is expected to become a new driver of China's economic growth. National Business Daily spoke to Feng Zhenglin, former head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, on the industry's development prospects. Below are excerpts of the interview. The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

The low-altitude economy can play a key role in stimulating domestic consumption, upgrading industries, and promoting economic and social development. But despite its enormous potential, it faces several challenges.

A key issue is the incomplete policy and regulatory framework. A comprehensive evaluation mechanism that covers safety, efficiency and fairness in airspace use has yet to be established, while coordination mechanisms remain underdeveloped.

In addition, digitalization lags behind and network services need optimization. The increasing density of low-altitude operations places greater pressure on public safety, flight safety and information security.

Also, the rapid iteration and upgrading of the low-altitude economy have exposed weaknesses in standardization in many areas, including infrastructure connectivity, data sharing and product compatibility. These shortcomings have limited the large-scale replication and promotion of new scenarios, products and business models.

Priority should be given to the coordinated advancement of traditional general aviation and the innovative development of the emerging unmanned aerial vehicle industry. The UAV sector involves high public participation and a wide range of application scenarios, making it one of the most dynamic components of the low-altitude economy and a field where China is particularly well-positioned to make breakthroughs.

Traditional manned general aviation will continue to play an irreplaceable role in long-distance transportation, large-scale operations, emergency rescue and national defense logistics. Therefore, the development of the low-altitude economy requires balanced planning and a dual-track approach that advances both sectors simultaneously.

Another important task is to expand application scenarios in order to better meet the increasingly diversified market demand. The low-altitude economy has unique advantages compared with other modes of transportation and offers a broad range of potential applications.

Greater policy and technological support should be provided for various low-altitude flight scenarios. What is needed is a demand-oriented approach that closely monitors the changes in market demand and adjusts industrial strategies and product structures accordingly. The sector can enhance its resilience and long-term sustainability by promoting personalized and customized services, as well as innovative marketing models and expanded use cases.

Industrial planning should also play a guiding role in building internationally competitive industry clusters for the low-altitude economy. The sector's growth depends on the coordinated development of an entire industry chain, which requires stronger top-level design and strategic planning. Policy guidance and market mechanisms should be combined to nurture leading enterprises and encourage scaled operations.

Local governments should explore development paths suited to their specific conditions while avoiding excessive competition, overheating in certain regions and blind expansion. Meanwhile, international exchanges and cooperation should be strengthened to attract and cultivate high-quality professionals with global perspectives and innovative capabilities, thereby fostering globally competitive low-altitude industry clusters.

Improvement of infrastructure is also critical for the sector's growth. In terms of flight service support systems, the advances in intelligent technologies, digital technologies and artificial intelligence should be fully utilized.

Efforts should be made to establish a three-dimensional digital geographic information system for low-altitude airspace, accelerate the compilation of low-altitude aviation maps and promote the application of technologies such as the Beidou navigation system, satellite communications and autonomous flight.

Finally, sound safety supervision is essential. Clear responsibilities and a comprehensive regulatory framework should be established. Pilot programs for joint supervision and cross-regional coordination mechanisms should be introduced, and financial tools such as insurance should be developed to support the sector's growth.