China - August 14, 2024

Low-altitude economy flies high in southwest China's Chongqing

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Hop on a light sport aircraft at Longxing General Airport and soar into the sky. It's my first time feeling the excitement of soaring hundreds of meters above and seeing the city's beauty from a whole new perspective.

This kind of flight experience is becoming popular in Chongqing. As the pioneering area for Chongqing's low-altitude economy, Liangjiang New Area has been exploring general aviation since 2012. The well-equipped Longxing General Aviation Airport now hosts a variety of low-altitude businesses offering flight experience, general aviation services, and pilot training, attracting more people to try these new activities.

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Meng Xiankui, Pilot Training Student:

"Thanks to the new policies promoting the low-altitude economy, age restrictions for flight training have been relaxed, giving me the chance to try piloting and broaden my horizons. At 63 years old, I finally fulfilled my dream of flying."

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Chongqing has rapidly developed its low-altitude economy this year, with Longxing General Airport handling over 5,000 flights in the first half of the year—a 50% increase year-on-year. In early August, Chongqing's first low-altitude flight route between Chongqing and Chengdu launched from Longxing General Airport, marking the first time flight enthusiasts participated in an intercity transfer route, further expanding low-altitude applications and business models.

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Chen Yiqiang, Manager of Chongqing Pengzhiyi General Aviation Co., Ltd.:

"Since Chongqing started promoting the low-altitude economy, our company's flight projects have seen a significant boost. This has led us to develop short routes to nearby areas and cities. This exploration of low-altitude flights is laying the groundwork for regular intercity flights and short-distance transport in the future."

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As a pilot city of the country's low-altitude airspace management reform, Chongqing is advancing low-altitude flights for logistics, urban management, and emergency rescue. To support this, Chongqing has focused on developing the drone industry and related technologies. A hydrogen-powered drone, developed by the Chongqing Research Institute of Harbin Institute of Technology , is now in its final testing phase.

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Shen Yiling, Technical Lead, Hydrogen Power and Low-Carbon Energy Research Center Chongqing Research Institute, Harbin Institute of Technology:

"Using hydrogen power for drones has become a trend in recent years. Attracted by Chongqing's supportive policies for the low-altitude economy, we've brought our technology here to demonstrate its applications in areas like logistics, wildfire prevention, surveillance, and traffic monitoring."

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Xiang Yang, Chairman, Chongqing Liangjiang Aviation and Aerospace Industry Investment Group Co., Ltd.:

"Over the years, we’ve brought in key players across the low-altitude economy, now hosting 22 major market entities. Moving forward, we'll leverage Chongqing’s strengths in new energy and smart connected vehicles manufacturing sector to develop flying cars, eVTOLs, and related industries."

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