Nanjing Takes the Lead in Incorporating the Establishment of a Low-Altitude Flight Service Support System into Local Regulatory Documents for Promotion
In the new field of low-altitude economy, the construction of a low-altitude flight service support system is increasingly becoming a key factor supporting its development and growth.
On December 3, Nanjing held a press conference where the Municipal Transportation Bureau released and interpreted the “Nanjing Low-Altitude Flight Service Support Measures (Trial)”. To accelerate the establishment of a convenient and efficient low-altitude flight service support system and scientifically guide individuals and units engaged in low-altitude flight activities to carry out such activities safely, orderly, and efficiently, the “Trial Measures” were issued on November 22, 2024, and will be implemented from January 1, 2025, for a trial period of two years.
Nanjing is accelerating the construction of a convenient and efficient low-altitude flight service support system.
The Paper (www.thepaper.cn) notes that the “Trial Measures” comprise 37 articles, divided into six chapters: General Provisions, Construction of Service Support Systems, Management of Flight Entities, Service Support for Flight Activities, Safety Supervision, and Supplementary Provisions.
It clarifies the relevant responsibilities of the government, departments, and service agencies in the construction of the flight service support system from three dimensions, specifying that the construction of the service support system includes the establishment of a municipal low-altitude flight service platform, cultivation of low-altitude flight scenarios, conduct of comprehensive assessment of low-altitude user needs, airspace planning, construction of physical infrastructure such as takeoff and landing sites, construction of information infrastructure such as communication, navigation, and surveillance, and the establishment of comprehensive application testing bases, with emphasis on the functions of the municipal low-altitude flight service platform.
Meanwhile, it stipulates 11 aspects including the responsibilities of flight entities, operating conditions, aircraft requirements, requirements for operators and pilots, operation and piloting specifications, insurance responsibilities, user data security, and prohibited activities, highlighting that the management of flight entities is the foundation for safe flight support. For specific flight activities, it clarifies five aspects of service support content for low-altitude flight service agencies, including service content, low-altitude flight service guide functions, airspace and route application services, emergency flight activity services, and aviation meteorological services, with emphasis on the service support content that municipal low-altitude flight service agencies can provide for the city’s low-altitude flight activities.
At the Nanjing Low-Altitude Economic Development Promotion Conference held on November 1 this year, the Nanjing Low-Altitude Flight Service Center was officially unveiled and began operation. According to Zong Ren, Director of the Nanjing Transportation Bureau, the “Trial Measures” further refine and clarify the functions of the center. As the first officially licensed public service institution in the province, the center will serve as a component of the national air traffic management system, responsible for assessing the efficiency of low-altitude airspace utilization, proposing dynamic optimization and adjustment suggestions for low-altitude airspace, assisting users in handling application matters related to low-altitude flight activities, collecting and summarizing low-altitude flight tasks and plans, and issuing airspace usage notices.
It is reported that Nanjing is the first city in China to incorporate the construction of a comprehensive low-altitude flight service support system into local normative documents for promotion and implementation and has innovatively proposed seven safeguard measures. Zong Ren stated that the “Trial Measures” focus on explaining the functions of the Nanjing Low-Altitude Flight Service Platform, which will have functions such as flight plan management, dynamic operational monitoring, aeronautical information dissemination, data management, and meteorological services. Subsequently, the Municipal Low-Altitude Flight Service Center will release a platform service guide, providing one-stop services such as flight activity plan applications, flight activity reports, identification services, in-flight monitoring, and alert notifications for individuals and units engaged in low-altitude flight activities in the city.
Currently, Nanjing has obtained approval for 42 airspace areas, covering a total area of 1,685.69 square kilometers; it has approved 118 routes, with a total mileage of 1,473 kilometers. It has 131 low-altitude takeoff and landing sites, including 5 for manned aircraft and 126 for drones. It has cultivated unique low-altitude scenarios such as test flight training, government inspection tours, maritime inspection tours, seafood delivery, cross-river logistics distribution, and tourist sightseeing.
Based on the establishment of the Municipal Low-Altitude Flight Service Center, Nanjing has completed version 1.0 of the low-altitude flight service platform, achieving bidirectional support. According to Li Qinghua, Chief Engineer of the Nanjing Transportation Bureau, the Nanjing Low-Altitude Flight Service Platform (version 1.0) is currently undergoing testing and trial operations and is expected to be officially opened at the end of the month. In the initial stage of its launch, the platform will provide users with services such as low-altitude digital planning, flight activity management, flight plan management, and geographic information. Subsequently, it will gradually open up services such as low-altitude meteorological services and situational monitoring. In the future, versions 2.0 and 3.0 of the platform will be launched, with the capability to serve no less than 50,000 low-altitude flights simultaneously, providing comprehensive, one-stop low-altitude flight services for low-altitude flight users.
Beyond Nanjing, cities in the Yangtze River Delta region such as Shanghai, Suzhou, Wuxi, and Hefei are also accelerating the construction of low-altitude flight service support systems.
On May 1 this year, the Hefei Low-Altitude Joint Flight Service Center was unveiled. The center was jointly established by the International Advanced Technology Application Promotion Center (Hefei) and the Anhui Branch of the East China Regional Air Traffic Management Bureau of China Civil Aviation, leveraging their respective strengths. It mainly provides low-altitude consultation services, airspace coordination services, work mechanism construction, and exploration of standard systems, aiming to create a “one-stop window” for low-altitude services in Hefei and accelerate the construction of a unified municipal low-altitude collaborative management platform that meets urban flight demands.
On June 11, the framework agreement for the establishment of Wuxi Low-Altitude Industry Development Service Co., Ltd. was signed, marking the establishment of Wuxi’s first low-altitude flight supervision and service platform operation and maintenance cooperation alliance. This platform enables “one-stop acceptance and one-stop handling” of low-altitude airspace and aircraft activities across the city, promoting a comprehensive leap in low-altitude application scenarios from “individual” to “group” to “urban three-dimensional”.
In August this year, the Suzhou Low-Altitude Flight Service Center (Preparatory) was unveiled. According to official announcements, the center will effectively fulfill functions such as low-altitude airspace coordinated management and integrated air traffic services, providing important support for the use of Suzhou’s low-altitude airspace and flight activities. On October 15, the “Suzhou Low-Altitude Flight Service Management Measures (Trial)” were issued, coordinating the management of Suzhou’s low-altitude flight services and clarifying the responsibilities of various functional departments. It proposes to rely on public infrastructure for low-altitude flights such as the municipal low-altitude flight service supervision platform to provide multiple supporting services for low-altitude flight operators and civil aircraft in the two key areas of flight and emergency response.
On November 22, the “Implementation Plan for Shanghai’s Low-Altitude Flight Service Management Capability Building” was issued, proposing a construction process of “demonstration first, point-to-area expansion, and phased implementation”. The period before the end of 2024 is the preparation phase, during which preparatory work for the construction of the low-altitude flight service center and the low-altitude flight comprehensive supervision and service platform will be continuously promoted. The period before the end of 2025 is the construction and trial operation phase, aiming to establish a low-altitude flight organization and management system that integrates military-civilian collaboration, city-district coordination, and Yangtze River Delta integration. By the end of 2027, which is the optimization and improvement phase, a comprehensive low-altitude public airway network will be fully formed in Shanghai, with a total of no less than 400 low-altitude flight routes planned.
