How Chongqing's low-altitude economy can take off
2024-08-17
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In 2023, the scale of China's low-altitude economy has exceeded 500 billion yuan. It is expected to reach 2 trillion yuan by 2030. What aspects should Chongqing focus on for the high-quality development of its low-altitude economy? From August 15 to 16, the "Pilot Camp" training course for high-quality development of Chongqing's low-altitude economy was held. Academicians and experts in the fields of aerospace and low-altitude economy gathered in Chongqing to offer suggestions for the development of Chongqing's low-altitude economy.
▲On August 15-16, the "Pilot Camp" training course for high-quality development of Chongqing's low-altitude economy was held. Photo provided by the interviewee
Three Misunderstandings Should Be Avoided in Developing Low-altitude Economy
"For the low-altitude economy, creating scenes is the top priority," said Lin Zuoming, president of the Chinese Society of Aeronautics.
In an era where scenarios are king, the development of the low-altitude economy requires the establishment of a new way of thinking in three aspects: investment promotion, market cultivation, and scenario creation, to avoid misunderstandings.
"To develop the low-altitude economy, we need to introduce not just one industry, but a complete economic ecosystem." Lin Zuoming said that in terms of attracting investment, we must change the mindset of focusing on industrial chain investment, and not just focus on the general aircraft manufacturing industry. Instead, we should focus on five areas of companies: building scene infrastructure construction, operation, and management service companies; developing low-altitude operating companies for various scenarios, such as agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, fishery, logistics, sightseeing and other companies; developing low-altitude aircraft research and development and manufacturing companies; supporting equipment companies suitable for low-altitude aircraft; and low-altitude flight training, maintenance, and comprehensive service companies.
"Only scenarios can support this economic ecology," said Lin Zuoming.
At the same time, to develop the low-altitude economy, we must also pay attention to the personalized low-altitude aircraft manufacturing industry, digital low-altitude management system, and the training of a large number of general aircraft pilots, drone operators and their corresponding manufacturing and maintenance talents.
In terms of market cultivation, the focus is not on building a TOB model - a business model that provides platforms, products or services to corporate customers and makes profits, but on capturing mass consumption. The focus is on building a TOC model, establishing a business model that directly faces end customers and provides products or services to consumers.
In terms of establishing scenarios, we need to establish a flight domain mindset, and we cannot just emphasize opening routes like traditional civil aviation passenger transport companies. We should plan and layout the entire low-altitude area below 3,000 meters, and emphasize low-altitude scenario applications. At present, the main scenarios of the low-altitude economy include low-altitude manufacturing, low-altitude flight, low-altitude support, flight services, etc.
Actively establish a low-altitude emergency rescue system
Liu Daxiang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said in an interview with reporters that general aviation emergency rescue is an important part of the high-quality development of the low-altitude economy. Chongqing has many mountainous areas, and should actively establish a low-altitude emergency rescue system to ensure that drones can quickly arrive in remote mountainous areas in case of emergencies, and provide first-time rescue, thereby minimizing disaster losses.
He said that currently, more than 50 countries in the world have established aviation rescue. For example, Germany has established an aviation emergency rescue system covering the whole country, with more than 800 rescue helicopters. At any point in the entire German territory, the country's free aviation emergency rescue service can be obtained within 15 minutes.
"In China, if a 30-minute low-altitude emergency rescue system is established, the loss of life and property caused by emergencies can be reduced by 50%-60%," said Liu Daxiang.
In addition, he also suggested that the establishment of a low-altitude emergency rescue system should implement public welfare rescue, so that the people can truly feel the sense of gain and happiness brought by the low-altitude economy.
Counties with conditions should build general airports
The development of low-altitude economy is inseparable from the construction of general airports.
Yan Chuliang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, gave suggestions on how to plan and build general airports.
He said that the goal of low-altitude economic development is to create an aviation circle connecting all counties and all cities; to accelerate the construction of rural e-commerce platforms and express logistics systems, promote the construction of smart parks, and assist in the construction of smart cities.
He suggested that counties with conditions should build a general airport, while towns and villages do not need to build one. In addition to being used for aircraft takeoff and landing in the one-hour traffic circle between counties and cities, the key is to become a distribution center and operation center for express logistics in counties and villages. Some general airports should also be equipped with medium-sized aircraft, such as the Boeing 737 series takeoff and landing capabilities.
In his opinion, establishing county-level general airports is an effective supplement to air, road and rail transportation, and can accelerate the promotion of transportation connectivity between cities and counties.
Not only that, building a 3,000-meter transportation network that integrates air and ground "one-hour transportation circle" is also an important part of building a three-dimensional transportation system in the future.
In the future, general aviation airports will be connected to long-distance civil aviation airports on one end and to rural areas, advantageous industrial clusters, etc. on the other end, realizing rotorcraft drone delivery. This can help express delivery into villages, extend rural service networks, and promote inter-provincial connectivity, city-county connectivity, and urban-rural balance of general aviation logistics networks.
Fan Lixin, deputy director of the Military-Civilian Integration Office of the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee, said that at present, the development of the low-altitude economy still needs to solve pain points such as insufficient available low-altitude airspace resources, high airport construction costs, high aircraft research and development and manufacturing costs, insufficient sustainable development capabilities of the application scenario market, and insufficient government low-altitude airspace management capabilities.
Fan Lixin said that in the future, Chongqing will cultivate four-season low-altitude consumption formats according to the idea of "consumption" in spring, "competition" in summer, "exhibition" in autumn and "planning" in winter, create a low-altitude consumption brand with Chongqing's distinctiveness, form a positive cycle of "airspace-consumption-investment", and build Chongqing into a "city of innovative development of low-altitude economy" with rich consumption formats, complete industrial chains, active innovation ecology, and wonderful general aviation culture.
