Guangzhou legislates low-altitude economy and plans to promote new business formats such as air commuting
Guangzhou Moves Toward Low-Altitude Economy Legislation: Seeking Public Input
Is commuting by air on the horizon for the residents of Guangzhou? On October 22, the Standing Committee of the Guangzhou Municipal People’s Congress announced on its official website that it is seeking public feedback on the draft of the “Guangzhou Low-Altitude Economic Development Regulations (Revised Draft for Public Consultation).” This legislation is slated for a second review and vote in November 2024.
The draft, consisting of eight chapters and 43 articles, covers various aspects of the low-altitude economy, including infrastructure, flight services, industrial development, safety measures, and legal responsibilities. Notably, it outlines plans to gradually establish low-altitude passenger routes within the city, between cities, and for cross-border travel, alongside promoting new business models such as air commuting, transport connectivity, and flights in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Additionally, the draft addresses current challenges facing the low-altitude economy, such as infrastructure development and airworthiness certification, and emphasizes support for local companies involved in design and manufacturing within this sector to pursue airworthiness certification and related standard-setting.
Exploring Innovative Applications in Low-Altitude Flight
The draft highlights Guangzhou’s commitment to exploring innovative applications in low-altitude flight across various fields, including transportation, logistics, culture and tourism, emergency response, medical services, agriculture, and government services. It specifies the gradual opening of low-altitude passenger routes, fostering developments in transport connections, air commuting, business travel, and cross-border flights.
In the logistics sector, there will be initiatives to expand the use of civilian drones for goods transportation, last-mile delivery, and emergency deliveries in urban, rural, mountainous, and island areas. The transportation and business sectors are encouraged to support logistics companies in their low-altitude logistics operations like instant deliveries and expedited shipments, creating a regional low-altitude logistics network.
For cultural and tourism applications, Guangzhou plans to develop low-altitude cultural parks and flying camps while supporting various activities such as sightseeing tours, flying performances and training, air sports, and cultural exchanges, aiming to establish a low-altitude tourism network.
In emergency response, the regulations propose that health departments promote the use of civilian drones by qualified hospitals, blood banks, and medical testing centers for swift transportation of blood products, testing samples, and donor organs.
Furthermore, the draft suggests supporting Nansha in establishing access standards for a comprehensive air, land, and sea unmanned system, promoting the industrial application of unmanned devices in logistics, low-altitude traffic, marine monitoring, disaster prevention and relief, emergency rescue, urban management, and maritime search and rescue.
Building Essential Infrastructure for Low-Altitude Flight
Currently, one of the significant challenges in China’s low-altitude flight sector is the lagging infrastructure development. The legislation draft dedicates a chapter to address this issue. It states that the Guangzhou municipal government will develop a construction plan for low-altitude flight infrastructure, organizing the establishment of low-altitude flight service stations and enhancing the intelligent network infrastructure for low-altitude operations.
To support ground infrastructure development, the Guangzhou Airport Committee, in coordination with relevant municipal departments and district governments, will promote the construction of ground facilities for civilian drones, including takeoff and landing zones, cargo handling, passenger waiting areas, aircraft storage, energy replenishment, maintenance, and flight testing, ensuring adequate support for low-altitude operational needs.
Private investment will be legally allowed to participate in the construction and operation of ground infrastructure in urban core business districts, transportation hubs, hospitals, parks, schools, sports venues, tourism sites, and islands, as long as they meet economic, technical, and environmental feasibility assessments.
Supporting Airworthiness Certification for Local Low-Altitude Economy Companies
Airworthiness certification remains a common hurdle for many low-altitude flight enterprises. The draft explicitly states that the municipal government and relevant departments should implement policies to support local companies involved in the design, research, and production in the low-altitude economy to pursue airworthiness certification. It also calls for enhanced cooperation with airworthiness certification agencies, providing support in terms of land use, talent acquisition, and research facilities to bolster certification capabilities.
Moreover, the government should foster training and consulting services for airworthiness certification institutions, assisting companies with training, consultation, airworthiness validation, and experimental flight technical support. This includes collaboration in drafting airworthiness standards and validation research among low-altitude enterprises, universities, research institutions, and industry associations.
Lastly, the draft aims to participate in developing relevant standards, promoting collaboration among low-altitude economy companies, educational and research institutions, and industry associations to draft international, national, industry, and local standards related to airworthiness certification and low-altitude operational management.
