Govt takes steps to promote low-altitude economy

The government said on Wednesday that it is proactively promoting the development of a low-altitude economy on various fronts and a senior official will be appointed to coordinate these efforts. The use of low-altitude airspace has become a prominent topic of discussion on the mainland, with the emergence of delivery drones, flying taxis and other aircraft for emergency services and agriculture. Beijing sees the development of a low-altitude economy as one of the new engines of growth, and the SAR government has been repeatedly urged to catch up with the national development strategy. At a Legco meeting, Deputy Secretary for Transport and Logistics Liu Chun-san told lawmakers that his bureau will work with the Civil Aviation Department to examine issues such as aviation safety and airspace management. "Because of air safety, the government will take a gradual approach to start from the near to the far and from the light to the heavy to gradually widen and enrich the application scenarios of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM)," he said. "On management of low altitude airspace, with public interest in mind, the aerial routes of AAM should be far away from populated areas. There should be a safe distance with buildings and structures and the flights should not affect the civil aircraft taking off and landing at the airport." Liu said new large-scale development projects, such as the Northern Metropolis and the Kau Yi Chau Artificial Islands, can provide enough open space, community and commercial land to meet the infrastructure needs of a low-altitude economy.