Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s a pizza taxi! This scene could soon become reality because governments and companies are in the process of developing low-altitude airspace economically. The emergence of a low-altitude economy is in full swing. The term refers to airspace activities up to an altitude of 1,000 meters for logistics, tourism, and agricultural purposes. Most of these are electrically powered, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
The development of this economic space is made possible by innovative batteries with a very high energy density, inexpensive and powerful sensors, and robust lightweight materials. China’s government sees the low-altitude economy as a previously untapped economic sector that needs to be exploited quickly—after all, the country’s expertise in e-mobility gives it a head start over the rest of the world.
Premier Li Qiang recently described the low-altitude economy as one of the most important growth drivers for the Chinese economy. Beijing supports the research and development of the new industry both financially and in terms of regulation.
Demonstration zones where the new type of air transportation is being tested have been set up in many provinces of the country. Shenzen province, for example, is planning to set up more than 600 new take-off and landing sites for electrically powered vertical take-off aircraft and other unmanned aerial vehicles in 2025.
The projects are ambitious: The Chinese startup Air White Whale, for example, recently unveiled the world’s largest cargo drone. The W5000 model, which resembles an aircraft, can transport a load of up to five tons over a distance of more than 2,000 kilometers without a pilot. The company is now hoping to obtain approval for the drone so that it can take off in 2026.
Remote control jobs
Other nations have also recognized the sector’s potential: It is estimated that the global market volume for commercial UAVs could rise from around 35 billion US dollars in 2024 to around 58 billion US dollars in 2030.
The low-altitude economy could create numerous new jobs. There is already a shortage of drone pilots in China, while thousands of people in the USA are being retrained to pilot the aircraft remotely. The United States does not want to be left behind by China when it comes to tapping into the booming market.
The national space agency NASA has already been commissioned to develop a system for controlling low-altitude air traffic (advanced air mobility/AAM).
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Europe is also following suit: The world’s first fully functional vertiport, an airport for vertical take-offs, was opened in Coventry, England, in 2022. In Germany, a drone airport began test operations in Hamburg in mid-2024. Until 2026, the EU project BLU-Space will be testing how the aircraft can be integrated into urban transportation. However, some commercial providers are currently struggling because they have relied on faster commercial expansion or have encountered technical hurdles.
A great deal of innovation and new materials are still needed to make this completely new sector of the economy a reality. That’s a good reason for the Creavis Foresight Team to analyze these needs in more detail as part of the GameChangers 2035 project. After all, it may not be long before we have pizza or sushi delivered directly to our windows instead of our doors.