China Develops 'Low-Altitude Economy' 0 20

Guizhou, a mountainous province in southwestern China, will launch its first regular route for low-altitude logistics using unmanned aerial vehicles by the end of 2025. This decision was made after the electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft V2000CG CarryAll, manufactured in China, successfully completed an intercity cargo flight in test mode.

The two-ton aircraft delivered medical supplies and agricultural products from the low-altitude flight service base in Guiyang to the general aviation airport in Huangping County of the Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, covering 118 km in just 40 minutes. In comparison, transportation by traditional ground transport between these two locations takes more than two hours due to the karst landscape.

Experts note that the low-altitude economy in China is entering a phase of rapid growth. Just two years ago, in 2023, the market volume did not exceed 500 billion yuan (70.5 billion dollars). This year, according to estimates from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, it will amount to about 1.5 trillion yuan, and by 2035 it could reach 3.5 trillion yuan.

In 2024 and 2025, the term 'low-altitude economy' was mentioned twice in the government work report presented at the annual session of the National People's Congress, indicating its important role in the country's economic development.

The Chinese newspaper "Nongmin Ribao" /Daily Farmer/ citing a forecast from the Civil Aviation Administration of China reports that the market volume of China's low-altitude economy will reach 1.5 trillion yuan (about 210 billion USD) by 2025, and by 2035 it could reach 3.5 trillion yuan.

Why do we need drones? In answering this question, the focus is on 'unmanned operations', which highlights the irreplaceability of UAVs in situations with increased risk to humans. In several regions of China, including the city of Shanghai, Jiangsu Province, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, drones are replacing 'spider men' in cleaning the glass exteriors of high-rise buildings and photovoltaic panels of solar power stations, which becomes a safer and more efficient solution for performing tasks that are dangerous for humans. In the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, a drone is involved in the emergency delivery of medications to save patients in critical condition.

It is expected that in the next five years, the global market for civil UAVs will grow at a compound annual growth rate of over 19 percent. By 2029, the market for commercial UAVs in China will exceed 300 billion yuan, with logistics, plant protection, surveying and mapping, air transportation, and inspections becoming the main driving forces behind the development of this market.

The widespread use of UAVs has also led to the emergence of a new profession in China, that of a drone pilot. The "Temporary Regulations on UAV Flight Management", which came into effect in China in January 2024, clearly stipulate that appropriate licenses are required to operate small, medium, and large UAVs. Such requirements open up enormous opportunities for the development of UAV pilot training services.