Low-altitude economy needs institutional guarantees

The recommendations for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) call for accelerating the development of industrial clusters in strategic emerging fields such as new energy, new materials, aviation and aerospace, and the low-altitude economy, while bolstering capacity building on national security in emerging domains including low-altitude airspace.

This marks the elevation of the low-altitude economy from a strategic emerging industry during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period to an independent priority area requiring coordinated, large-scale industrial development.

As a typical representative of new quality productive forces, the low-altitude economy integrates advanced technologies across aerospace, smart manufacturing, new energy and artificial intelligence. With long industry chains, strong driving effects and diverse application scenarios, it is projected to exceed one trillion yuan ($144.76 billion) in market size during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, forming a regionally diversified development pattern.

Amid the restructuring of global aviation competition and the accelerating green transition, China must strengthen systematic planning in core technology breakthroughs, disciplinary optimization, talent cultivation and industrial ecosystem building. Indigenous innovation will be essential to enhance resilience against external uncertainties and support high-quality growth of the low-altitude economy.

The low-altitude economy relies heavily on technology iteration in unmanned aerial vehicles and electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL), whose breakthroughs depend on continued innovation in flight control systems, high-energy-density batteries and reliable electric propulsion. Only with larger investment in indigenous research can China lead the technological competition in global low-altitude economy.

China should further pool research resources to build a secure and coordinated innovation system, focusing on key bottlenecks such as multiple redundant flight control chips, high-precision light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and advanced battery materials. It is necessary to accelerate the commercialization of technological achievements and ensure greater self-reliance across the industry chain.

Green development is another core priority in the 15th Five-Year Plan period. Under the dual-carbon goals, green aviation technologies have become a focus of international competition. Traditional lithium battery systems face energy density constraints, making it necessary to pursue diversified technological pathways.

So, China should advance both electrification and hydrogen-based solutions by promoting higher-density batteries and airworthiness certification, strengthening the commercialization of electric aircraft in urban mobility, emergency rescue and logistics. Meanwhile, efforts should be made to intensify research on hydrogen storage, transportation and utilization.

An effective technology transfer mechanism is equally important. A demand-driven, full-chain innovation model should be established by building testing bases and demonstration zones that integrate new technologies into real-world scenarios. Data-driven feedback loops can shorten commercialization cycles and refine business models. Universities and enterprises can cooperate to tailor research to regional application needs and accelerate scalable and sustainable development.

The low-altitude economy urgently requires composite, innovative and highly skilled professionals. Addressing current gaps in aerospace engineering, intelligent control and airspace management will require closer integration between industry and education, updated curricula and diversified training mechanisms.

Improving innovation efficiency also depends on a coordinated ecosystem. It is necessary to prepare traditional facilities such as vertiports and energy supply stations, as well as a network of communication, navigation and monitoring. The integration of technologies including public mobile communication, aviation-specific air-to-ground communication, satellite communication and BeiDou Navigation Satellite System can provide essential support for high-density and large-scale low-altitude operations.

The development of the low-altitude economy should follow a top-down approach. Government use of low-altitude aviation in emergency response, medical rescue, firefighting, environmental monitoring and public security can enhance public service capacity. Enterprises should deepen applications in express delivery and instant logistics, while exploring intercity and cross-border passenger and cargo routes and multimodal connections at major transport hubs. Consumers' participation in door-to-door services should be encouraged to help embed the low-altitude economy into daily life.

A sound regulatory and standards framework is indispensable. The interim regulations for unmanned aircraft flight management should be refined and implemented, alongside comprehensive standards covering integrated operations of manned and unmanned aircraft, infrastructure connectivity and data security. Building a coordinated, internationally aligned standards system that spans the entire industrial chain and life cycle will provide institutional guarantees for the safe, orderly and sustainable development of China's low-altitude economy.

The author is a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress and a professor of the School of Astronautics at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.