Low-altitude industry gains strategic importance

So far, more than 30 provincial-level regions have included the low-altitude economy in their government work reports. A number of local governments have introduced policies to support the research and manufacturing of aircraft, the building of infrastructure, airspace management and flight standards, thus forming a relatively complete support system for the industrial chain.

Several cities such as Chongqing; Suzhou, Jiangsu province; Guangzhou, Guangdong province; and Wuhan, Hubei province have launched low-altitude economic industry funds to drive the growth of the sector, with the largest scale of the fund coming in at 20 billion yuan.

As of now, there are over 17,000 unmanned aerial vehicle operating enterprises in China, and over 2 million UAVs have been registered with real names nationwide, according to China Air Transport Association.

"The next economic growth point will be the low-altitude sector, in my opinion. If the problem of traffic congestion is not solved, it would be difficult to develop the real economy," Ni Mingxuan, principal of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), said during a recent forum in Guangzhou. "The technologies related to the low-altitude sector have been gradually maturing, and the advantage of three-dimensional space is obvious."

A number of eye-catching eVTOL aircraft were on display at the just concluded 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, also known as Airshow China, in Zhuhai, Guangdong.

As a key player in the low-altitude economy sector, Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng Motors' flying car unit Xpeng Aeroht has taken a giant leap into the future of transportation.

The company unveiled the first public autopilot flight of its modular flying car, the "Land Aircraft Carrier" during the airshow, and it is also the world's only car capable of storing an "aircraft" in its trunk.

During the airshow, Xpeng Aeroht received new orders for 2,008 units of its flying car, the largest of its kind globally, with customers coming from sectors such as transportation, tourism, real estate and technology.

"The orders mostly come from businesses, government institutes and public service departments, and such an achievement at least indicates that the low-altitude economy is encouraged and supported by the government," said Ye Liang, advanced manufacturing and mobility sector leading partner of accounting firm Ernst & Young. "The purpose of an aircraft is mainly for transportation and sightseeing. Based on current introductions, in my opinion, the transportation scenarios may be very limited, but the sightseeing scenarios seem more feasible for flying cars."

He added that for long-distance travel, consumers could achieve a flying experience around the scenic spots by renting such flying cars.