The Ehang Logistics Drone at the Evtol exhibition in Shenzhen (Guangdong), September 23, 2024
The year 2024 marked an important turning point for the economy of low altitude in China. With the continuous improvement of the political system, the increase in technological capacities and the growth of market demand, the economy of low altitude becomes a new engine of Chinese growth.
A strong momentum
According to the research report on the development of the low -altitude economy in China (2024), published on April 1, 2024 by the Chinese Center for the Development of the Information Industry (CCID), the low -altitude economy of China reached a volume of 505.95 billion yuan in 2023, growth of 33.8 % compared to the previous year.
With a complete industrial system and an immense domestic market, China accelerates the deployment of the various application scenarios for the low -altitude economy. At the same time, the industrial chain of the low -altitude economy continues to improve, with remarkable advances at all levels: upstream, in raw materials and key components; In the middle, in the manufacture of low -altitude aircraft and low -altitude flight insurance systems; And downstream, in integrated services. The manufacture and operation of low -altitude air vehicles, such as drones, electric takeoff and vertical landing (EVTOL) and helicopters, have become a strategic link in this industrial chain, stimulating the development of related sectors.
The low -altitude economy promises to be an extremely promising market. In March 2024, the Ministry of Information Industry and Technologies, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Finance and the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) jointly published the implementation plan for innovative applications for general aviation equipment (2024-2030).
The plan proposes that by 2027, a modern basic support system for general aviation, including equipment characterized by unmanned, electrified and intelligent technology, is essentially established and applied commercially in urban air transport, logistics distribution and emergency rescue. While by 2030, general aviation equipment will have fully entered all aspects of daily life and production, to form a market worth 1,000 billion yuan. According to CAAC projections, the low -altitude economy market is expected to reach 1,500 billion yuan in 2025, then 3,500 billion yuan by 2035.
The Evtol Sora S-1 bus over London as imagined by a designer
Full political support
The rapid development of the Chinese low altitude economy is based on a structured political device. According to the Taibo reflection group, the creation of the Department of Development of the Basse Altitude economy is a strategic pivotal event. With prerogatives of planning coordination and normative orientation, this regulatory entity not only makes it possible to issue positive signals to attract financial and industrial capital while expanding market borders, but makes it possible to promote an intersectoral and interregional collaboration between economic actors.
Whether it is the government’s activity report 2024 which recommends the creation of new engines of economic growth, including the low -altitude economy, or the decision of the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party which formally inscribes the development of general aviation and the low -altitude economy in its strategic orientations, China demonstrates an assertive political will in this emerging sector.
Documents such as opinions on the promotion of the development of the general aviation industry and the reform plan for the management of the low -altitude airspace provide a political guarantee for the development of the low -altitude economy, clarifying not only the management of the management of the low -altitude plain space, but also offering specific measures to promote the development of the general aviation industry, in particular the simplification of the authorization procedures and The widening of the opening of low -altitude airspace.
Local governments actively deploy sectoral support systems. To date, ten provinces and cities (Anhui, Jiangxi, Beijing, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Guiyang, Wuhan, Suzhou, Wuxi and Shenyang) have formed investment funds dedicated to the low -altitude economy industry, exceeding 100 billion yuan. These strategic funds are allocated to the financing of integrated projects covering R&D, the construction and operation of infrastructure, in order to consolidate the industrial ecosystem. At the same time, various regions accelerate their operational deployment through the construction of general aviation airports and the establishment of demonstration zones dedicated to the low -altitude economy.
An innovative shared future
The low -altitude economy sector has recorded significant technological advances. The performance of aircraft operating at low altitude such as drones and evtol are constantly improved. These progress concerns autonomy, payload capacity and stability in complex environments. At the same time, the integration of new information technologies, such as intelligent low-altitude and 5G-A networks, provides support for the development of the low-altitude economy.
In this race for innovation, China is not alone. Major actors in aeronautics and aerospace such as Iirbus and Boeing, leaders in VTC and electronic commerce such as Uber and Amazon, as well as many European and American SMEs, actively participate in the dynamics of this expanding ecosystem.
In November 2024, the Chinese alliance for international cooperation in low -altitude economy was created in Zhuhai (Guangdong), aimed at promoting technological exchanges and cooperation in the world and stimulating continuous innovation in the economy of low altitude. China is ready to work with other countries to explore the infinite possibilities of the low -altitude economy, in order to contribute to the sustainable development of the global economy.
