Chongqing bolsters low-altitude economy

A drone inspects power lines in Liangjiang. [Photo by Wang Jiaxi]

Chongqing is making significant progress in advancing its low-altitude economy, transitioning from "pilot flights" to "scenario validation". The city recently gained national recognition for three innovative applications, including drone inspections in rail safety zones and patrols of key geological hazards in the Three Gorges Reservoir area.

A strong low-altitude economy is built on the development and implementation of effective use cases. "Applications are what give low-altitude operations their economic value," said Dang Xianju, general manager of Star Control Digital Intelligence Co.

Chongqing released its first list of low-altitude economy applications in 2025, aiming to better align market demand with technological capabilities. Liangjiang New Area has been at the forefront of this effort, developing 10 low-altitude economy consumption scenarios, including tourism, drone delivery, and eVTOL urban commuting.

The most promising scenarios are concentrated in agriculture and forestry protection, inspection and patrol, and logistics transportation. Drones and other low-altitude equipment can swiftly transport people or goods, with Chongqing's mountainous terrain offering unique advantages.

Drones also offer efficient alternatives to manual labor in areas such as security surveillance, fishing ban patrols, and power and oil pipeline inspections.

Ensuring these scenarios operate smoothly and reliably is essential to the industry's transition to normalized operations, Dang said. He noted that the current focus is on strengthening infrastructure, standardizing systems, and enhancing safety management effectiveness.

Dang added that this involves building a "digital foundation" that includes communication, navigation, and meteorological systems, as well as developing a comprehensive low-altitude dynamic monitoring system through space-based, air-based, and ground-based collaborative technologies.

To address these challenges, Chongqing is taking comprehensive and coordinated action. In Liangjiang, the development of a low-altitude management system — consisting of a comprehensive management platform and two networks — is further strengthening existing operational support capabilities.

Chongqing has also unveiled an action plan to accelerate scenario development and expand large-scale applications. The plan proposes creating 20 major scenarios annually, hosting more than 200 supply-and-demand matching events, and opening up over 2,000 effective scenario opportunities each year.