In south China, people are used to getting their coffee delivered by drones as low air routes in and between cities are increasingly being used for various kinds of work. 

The low-altitude economy, a major component of three-dimensional transportation today, has changed people’s way of life. Under the vertical range of 3,000 meters, new forms of vehicles, such as electric aircraft capable of vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOLs) and drones, are being used for cargo transportation, urban governance, and aerial tours. In the future, air transportation networks will expand across the country to make the low-altitude travel mode a way of life. 

The Global Low-Altitude Economic Forum 2024 Annual Meeting is held in Beijing on November 27, 2024. 

The Global Low-Altitude Economic Forum 2024 Annual Meeting, organized by the China Low-Altitude Economy Alliance (CLAEA), was held in Beijing on November 27, attended by more than 800 experts, diplomats, and CEOs of startups from home and abroad. 

They discussed technology, business models, and applications. They also stressed the need for the industry to be enhanced by top-level design, infrastructure, and supporting services so as to ensure safe and orderly flights and boost production and life. 

The CLAEA also launched a trend report which pointed out five directions of future development. It said that drones are the most versatile tools and will drive logistics, tree planting, emergency rescue, urban management, power inspection, and tourism. 

As a rising field, the low-altitude economy is stimulating various emerging industries. With the support of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, and intelligent networks, automatic driving will be widely applied in aerial vehicles. 

In the future, eVTOLs will become common. With complete air traffic network and ground service facilities installed in major cities in the coming years, eVTOLs will be commercialized on a mass scale and their market price will decrease. By 2030, four- or five-seat eVTOLs are expected to cost RMB two to three million, and 100,000 eVTOLs will be used by families or as air taxis. 

Air taxis will become the main air transport in large and medium-sized cities. As they cause less noise, are driverless, convenient and affordable compared to traditional aircraft, eVTOLs will become a priority option. 

General aviation will be driven by the low-altitude economy as well. Light private aircrafts and large and medium-sized unmanned cargo drones will be the main vehicles. Light aircraft will be used in cultural tourism, field operations, and intercity transport for medium and long distance. Around 2035, millions of private and business jets will become the main force of general aviation. 

Luo Jun, executive chairman of the CLAEA, said after a few years of infrastructure construction, China’s low-altitude economy will enter a new era. China has ushered in a golden decade of opportunity, which is a unique economic format among developing countries. By 2030, the scale of China’s low-altitude economy will reach at least RMB three trillion.  

In the industry, the drone chain is expected to take the lead, exceeding RMB one trillion. In the next step, China’s model can be promoted in other developing countries.