Flying start for low-altitude economy goals as 100 drone projects proposed

Hong Kong authorities have received more than 100 applications for innovative drone usage to pioneer the city’s “low-altitude economy”, with some pilot projects set to launch as early as in three months, the transport minister has said. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan also pledged to push more advanced transport technologies to transition from trials to everyday use in 2026. In a blog post on the Transport and Logistics Bureau’s website on Saturday, Chan said “the industry responded enthusiastically” to the government’s calls, with more than 100 submissions received by the end of last month, when applications closed. The low-altitude economy is an emerging sector focused on activities such as drone use in airspace below 1km (3,280 feet). “The [government] working group is reviewing the applications in detail, with the goal of launching pilot projects progressively in the first half of this year,” Chan said. In line with the nation’s development of a low-altitude economy, Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu announced in his policy address in 2024 that a government working group would be set up to foster and facilitate the testing of potential application scenarios for low-altitude flying activities. Promoting “regulatory sandbox” pilot projects was among its major tasks. The sandbox aims to enable the industry to test and conduct trials on some project concepts along predefined air routes and in a controlled and safe manner. It also allows the government to collect data to ensure applications work and meet safety and reliability requirements. Based on the success of the first batch of sandbox projects last year, the government launched a new round of applications under a “regulatory sandbox X” scheme late last year. Applications closed in February. Thirty-eight pilot projects were selected in the first batch, including one using drones to deliver medicine from Cyberport in Pok Fu Lam to St John Hospital on Cheung Chau. “Together with the around 20 projects from last year’s ‘regulatory sandbox’ that have already entered regular and scaled-up operations, the development of the low-altitude economy will create abundant opportunities for talent across different sectors,” Chan wrote. She also painted a rosy picture of the low-altitude economy’s development in 2026, describing it as a “pivotal year” in which advanced transport technologies would move from experimental concepts to full-fledged industries. “We expect multiple innovative transport technologies to transition from testing environments into everyday life this year, reinforcing my conviction that what we are witnessing is not merely a vision of future technological innovation, but the emergence of future industries capable of driving real‑world development,” Chan added. The minister also said that drone-related professions, from researchers and engineers to operators, would also become “new quality career pathways” for young people. “Hong Kong is actively planning talent development across multiple fronts to provide fertile ground for their growth,” Chan said. At present, eight Civil Aviation Department-accredited organisations offer drone operator certification training and assessment. Non-local qualifications can also be recognised upon application. The Hong Kong Productivity Council, a sandbox partner, is preparing new courses for so-called Category C small drones weighing between 25kg and 150kg, and also long-range beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations. The Vocational Training Council has already provided training to more than 500 students in areas including drone operation, smart transport and aerial photography. The Hong Kong International Aviation Academy is also applying to become an approved training organisation to offer courses to train drone pilots and maintenance personnel. Meanwhile, the University of Hong Kong and Polytechnic University have also launched master’s programmes related to the low‑altitude economy, covering flight principles, airspace management, aircraft design and infrastructure engineering, according to Chan.