A helicopter takes off from the Yanzi Lake International Convention and Exhibition Center in Pingshan District for its maiden flight to Futian CBD on March 2. Shenzhen Economic Daily
Shenzhen has rolled out 20 measures aimed at bolstering the high-quality development of the rapidly evolving low-altitude economy.
The measures, jointly issued by seven municipal government departments, focus on the four aspects of cultivating enterprises in the low-altitude economy, encouraging technological innovation, expanding low-altitude flight application scenarios, and improving industrial supporting facilities.
As a city of innovation, Shenzhen has emerged as a frontrunner in the development of the burgeoning low-altitude economy, a sector identified for cultivation as part of the city's strategic emerging industries.
Shenzhen boasts a complete unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) industrial chain encompassing production and manufacturing, technology research and development (R&D), software development, commercial applications, and talent training.
In 2022, the city had over 1,500 UAV enterprises, generating an annual output value of 75 billion yuan (US$10.54 billion), accounting for 70% of the national total.
According to the measures, rewards will be given to newly established low-altitude economy enterprises that engage in the R&D and manufacturing of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles and large and medium-sized UAVs, as well as the R&D and manufacturing of core components and commercial operations.
Subsidies will be given to support the technological transformation of low-altitude economy enterprises and encourage R&D of key industrial technologies.
Shenzhen will award low-altitude economy enterprises that have obtained eVTOL vehicle and UAV model qualification certificates and production licenses issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China and will operate these vehicles in the city.
The city also encourages the scale-up of low-altitude logistics market and the opening of short-haul transportation routes.
Low-altitude economic enterprises that open new logistics routes in Shenzhen will be rewarded with annual incentives of up to 20 million yuan.
For each enterprise opening domestic routes, the annual reward is up to 6 million yuan. A one-off reward of 1 million yuan will be granted for each newly established cross-border route between Shenzhen and Hong Kong.