Unleashing the Spark
At Shenzhen’s renowned theme park, Window of the World, drones illuminated the night sky alongside fireworks during the Spring Festival holiday, creating a breathtaking sight. In Longgang District’s central area, citizens enjoyed panoramic views of the city from above through helicopter rides. Meanwhile, in Dapeng New District, low-altitude rescue aircraft remained on standby 24/7 to ensure the safety of hikers in the mountains.
General aviation - the backbone of the low-altitude economy - is transforming life in Shenzhen. In airspace below 3,000 metres, innovative vehicles such as electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and drones are being deployed for cargo transportation, city administration, and aerial tourism. The low-altitude economy is emerging as a powerful growth driver, injecting fresh impetus into Shenzhen’s high-quality development.
Policy support
As a key representative of China’s new quality productive forces, the low-altitude economy was included in the government work report for the first time in 2024, leading to the emergence of a trillion-yuan market.
Guangdong Province has pledged to support Shenzhen and other cities in building comprehensive demonstration zones for the general aviation industry and creating a low-altitude economic and industrial hub in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
In February 2024, the city implemented an ordinance for promoting the low-altitude economy - the nation’s first legislation on the development of the low-altitude economy. This ordinance called for leveraging public funds to attract private investment into the industry. In November 2024, the city released the Plan for the High-Quality Construction of Low-Altitude Infrastructure (2024-2026) to coordinate and promote the implementation of various infrastructure construction projects.
With the support of favourable policies, leading companies and scientific research institutions have been setting up operations in Shenzhen. According to statistics from the Shenzhen UAV Industry Association, Shenzhen is now home to more than 1,700 low-altitude industry-related companies, including unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) R&D and manufacturing firms, as well as low-altitude application companies, ranking first in the country. The city also boasts numerous R&D institutions and has formed a complete low-altitude industry chain, integrating UAV R&D, manufacturing, application, and services.
Innovative applications
The low-altitude economy encompasses a wide range of applications in Shenzhen, including aerial photography, delivery services, surveying and mapping, agriculture, and emergency response.
In the city, tourists can now have their favourite food or drinks delivered by drones while relaxing in a park. To improve the efficiency and experience of urban instant delivery, Meituan, a Chinese on-demand service platform, began exploring UAV delivery services in 2017. By 2021, the company had started trialling drone food deliveries to offices, residential communities, scenic spots, parks, campuses, and libraries in the city.
Recently, two companies, CASETiFY and Phoenix Wings, launched Shenzhen’s first low-altitude logistics line for enterprises. They have built a drone take-off and landing station on the roof of a warehouse in Longgang District. Goods from the warehouse can be loaded onto a drone, flown more than 40 km to Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport, and then sent to destinations worldwide. Thanks to drones, 96 percent of cross-city orders can now be delivered to customers the next day, significantly improving the user experience.
Takeaways, seafood, medical supplies, jewellery, gold, electronic components, daily necessities … an astonishing variety of goods now take flight in Shenzhen’s skies, all thanks to the low-altitude economy. According to data released by the Shenzhen Municipal Transportation Bureau, in 2024, Shenzhen expanded its drone network by introducing 94 new routes and 483 take-off and landing facilities, which have handled over 700,000 cargo flights and more than 28,000 low-altitude manned flights. This makes Shenzhen a national leader in terms of flight volume in this field.
A new blue ocean
As a completely new factor of production, the low-altitude economy is set to create a new blue ocean, unlocking fresh opportunities for economic growth.
According to estimates, by 2025, Shenzhen will have more than 600 low-altitude aircraft take-off and landing platforms in a grid, more than 220 drone routes, and over 100 billion yuan ($13.7 billion) in output value.
The city is also rapidly advancing its Smart Integrated Lower Airspace System, officially launched in late November 2024. This system facilitates safe and efficient operations in the low altitude by integrating core urban data related to building models, municipal facilities, and administrative divisions.
In 2024, Shenzhen received approval from the relevant national ministries to establish a comprehensive demonstration zone for the development of the national low-altitude economy. The Civil Aviation Administration of China has expressed explicit support for this initiative, endorsing Shenzhen’s efforts to refine its industrial development service system and approving pilot studies in low-altitude logistics and urban air traffic.
* This article was first published in Shenzhen Special Zone Daily.
