Shanghai plans for low-altitude aviation industry

Shanghai unveiled on Friday an ambitious plan of building "city of sky" in the coming three years by establishing a complete low-altitude industry with its core industrial scale to exceed 50 billion yuan ($6 billion) by 2027, according to official sources.

Eying to build a low-altitude economy highland of innovation, commercial application, as well as operation services, Shanghai is set to form a complete industrial system covering research, development, design, assembly and manufacturing, airworthiness testing and commercial application of new low-altitude aircraft by 2027, according to the action plan on the high-quality development of low-altitude economic industry between 2024 and 2027 unveiled by the municipal government of Shanghai on Friday.

At the forefront of low-altitude economic innovation and development worldwide, Shanghai looks to expand the core industrial value of the sector to 50 billion yuan by 2027, according to the action plan.

In the meantime, Shanghai will cooperate with cities across the Yangtze River Delta region to build the nation's first batch of cities having low-altitude aviation available across the region, to establish a national low-altitude economic industry demonstration area, and to become a city of the sky with international influence at an accelerated speed, the action plan said.

Support will be offered to nurture industrial leaders engaged in low-altitude related businesses including electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL), industrial unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), new energy powered general aviation aircraft research, development and manufacturing, it said.

Iconic products will be developed with breakthroughs made constantly, infrastructure facilities will be improved continuously, applications in commercial scenarios will be enriched and comprehensive support will be in place to facilitate the realization of the plan, said the action plan.