The development of drone businesses has posed challenges in management, operation, safety, and resource sharing for the low-altitude economy.

At the International Low Altitude Economic Forum, a parallel forum of the fifth World Science and Technology Development Forum, experts shared ideas for the healthy development of the low-altitude economy, a new global economic growth point.

“Highly frequent and intensive drone flights in low altitudes need a smart and integrated operation system that supports, manages, and controls aerial vehicles flying in complicated situations,” Shen Xiangyang, founding director of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Digital Economy Research Institute, said.

In a speech, Lin Zhengmao, deputy director of the Legal Affairs Committee of the Standing Committee of the Shenzhen Municipal People’s Congress, said the city is working on legislation for the development of the low-altitude economy, as well as solving difficulties in the field such as institutional barriers, efficient coordination, digital infrastructure, industrial applications, and tech innovation.

Shenzhen, a pioneer city in China for the development of the low-altitude economy, has supported the industry in terms of technological innovation, expansion of application scenarios, and improving logistics and infrastructure scales. In 2022, the country’s civil aviation administration approved the city to become a pilot area for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Mao Yinian, vice president and head of Meituan Low Altitude Logistics Technology Co. Ltd., said at the forum that 2023 is the year for the rapid development of drone deliveries.

Meituan is one of the first enterprises that started drone deliveries in Shenzhen at the end of 2017. In 2022, the company made over 10,000 drone deliveries across the city. Currently, Meituan has six delivery hubs in the city, generally on rooftops of commercial complexes, delivering orders to 11 routes to residential and office areas, and public parks.

Official data showed that Shenzhen has opened a total of 74 low-altitude routes so far. Between January and October, a total of 421,000 drone deliveries have been handled, according to the forum.