Nanjing takes the lead in incorporating the construction of a low-altitude flight service guarantee system into local regulatory documents for advancement.
In the emerging low-altitude economy, the construction of a low-altitude flight service guarantee 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 Guarantee Measures (Trial).” To accelerate the establishment of a convenient and efficient low-altitude flight service guarantee system and to scientifically guide organizations and individuals engaged in low-altitude flight activities to conduct these activities safely, orderly, and efficiently, the “Trial Measures” will be issued on November 22, 2024, and will take effect on January 1, 2025, for a trial period of two years.
The “Trial Measures” consist of 37 articles divided into six chapters: General Principles, Service Guarantee System Construction, Flight Entity Management, Flight Activity Service Guarantee, Safety Supervision, and Supplementary Provisions.
It emphasizes the responsibilities of the government, departments, and service agencies in the construction of the flight service guarantee system. The construction includes establishing a municipal low-altitude flight service platform, cultivating low-altitude flight scenarios, conducting comprehensive assessments of low-altitude user demands, planning airspace, constructing physical infrastructure such as takeoff and landing points, building information infrastructure like navigation and monitoring, and setting up comprehensive application testing bases, with a focus on the various functions of the municipal low-altitude flight service platform.
Additionally, it stipulates 11 aspects related to the responsibilities of flight entities, operational conditions, aircraft requirements, operator and pilot requirements, operational and driving norms, insurance responsibilities, user data security, and prohibited activities, highlighting that flight entity management is the foundation of safe flight assurance. For specific flight activities, it clarifies the service content of low-altitude flight service agencies, the functions of low-altitude flight service guidelines, airspace and route application services, emergency flight activity services, and aviation meteorological services, emphasizing the services that municipal low-altitude flight service agencies can provide for low-altitude flight activities in the city.
At the Nanjing Low-Altitude Economic Development Promotion Conference held on November 1 this year, the Nanjing Low-Altitude Flight Service Center was officially inaugurated. According to Zong Ren, Director of the Nanjing Municipal Transportation Bureau, the released “Trial Measures” further clarify the functions of the center. As the first officially licensed public service agency in the province, the center will be part of the national air traffic management system, specifically responsible for evaluating the efficiency of low-altitude airspace usage and proposing dynamic optimization and adjustment suggestions for low-altitude airspace; assisting users in handling applications related to low-altitude flight activities; and collecting and summarizing low-altitude flight tasks and plans, as well as issuing airspace usage notices.
Nanjing is the first in the country to incorporate the construction of a comprehensive low-altitude flight service guarantee system into local normative documents for implementation, innovatively proposing seven major guarantee measures. Zong Ren stated that the “Trial Measures” focus on explaining the functions of the Nanjing low-altitude flight service platform, which will include functions such as flight plan management, operational dynamic monitoring, flight information release, data management, and meteorological services. Subsequently, the municipal low-altitude flight service center will release a service guide for the platform, providing one-stop services for units and individuals engaged in low-altitude flight activities in the city, including flight activity plan applications, flight activity reports, identification services, monitoring during flights, and alert notifications.
Currently, Nanjing has approved 42 airspace zones, covering a total area of 1,685.69 square kilometers; 118 flight routes have been approved, with a total mileage of 1,473 kilometers. There are 131 low-altitude takeoff and landing sites, including five manned takeoff and landing sites and 126 unmanned takeoff and landing points. Various low-altitude scenarios have been developed, including test flight training, government inspections, maritime inspections, seafood delivery, cross-river logistics, and tourism.
Based on the establishment of the municipal low-altitude flight service center, Nanjing has built the 1.0 version of the low-altitude flight service platform, achieving bidirectional support. According to Li Qinghua, Chief Engineer of the Nanjing Municipal Transportation Bureau, the Nanjing low-altitude flight service platform (version 1.0) is currently undergoing testing and is expected to officially open by the end of the month. In its initial phase, the platform will provide users with services such as low-altitude digital planning, flight activity management, flight plan management, and geographic information, with plans to gradually open low-altitude meteorological services and situational monitoring. Future versions 2.0 and 3.0 of the platform will be launched to achieve a service capacity of no less than 50,000 low-altitude flight operations, providing comprehensive, one-stop low-altitude flight services for users.
Beyond Nanjing, cities in the Yangtze River Delta, such as Shanghai, Suzhou, Wuxi, and Hefei, are also accelerating the construction of low-altitude flight service guarantee platforms.
On May 1 of this year, the Hefei Low-Altitude Joint Flight Service Center was inaugurated. This center was jointly established by the International Advanced Technology Application Promotion Center (Hefei) and the Anhui Branch of the East China Air Traffic Management Bureau, leveraging their respective advantages to provide low-altitude consulting services, airspace coordination services, work mechanism construction, and standard system exploration, creating a “one-stop window” for low-altitude services in Hefei and accelerating the establishment of a unified low-altitude collaborative management platform to meet urban flight demands.
On June 11, Wuxi Low-Altitude Industry Development Service Co., Ltd. signed a framework agreement, establishing Wuxi’s first low-altitude flight regulatory service platform operation and maintenance cooperation alliance. This platform will enable comprehensive management of low-altitude airspace and aircraft activities across the city, promoting the evolution of low-altitude application scenarios from “individual” to “group” and then to “urban three-dimensional.”
In August, the Suzhou Low-Altitude Flight Service Center (preparatory) was inaugurated. According to official announcements, the center will effectively perform functions such as low-altitude airspace collaborative management and comprehensive air traffic services, providing important guarantees for the use of low-altitude airspace and flight activities in Suzhou. On October 15, the “Suzhou Low-Altitude Flight Service Management Measures (Trial)” was issued, coordinating the management of low-altitude flight services in Suzhou and clarifying the responsibilities of various functional departments. It proposed relying on the municipal low-altitude flight service regulatory platform and other public infrastructure to provide multiple supporting services for operators of low-altitude flight activities and civil aircraft in the key areas of flight and emergency.
On November 22, the “Shanghai Low-Altitude Flight Service Management Capability Construction Implementation Plan” was issued, proposing a construction approach of “demonstration first, point-to-surface, and phased implementation.” The plan aims to prepare for the construction phase by the end of 2024, continuously advancing the preliminary work for the construction of low-altitude flight service centers and comprehensive regulatory service platforms. By the end of 2025, it aims to enter the construction and trial operation phase, improving the collaborative management system for low-altitude flights involving military, civilian, and municipal cooperation, as well as integration within the Yangtze River Delta. By the end of 2027, it aims to optimize and enhance the overall structure of Shanghai’s low-altitude public air route network, cumulatively establishing no less than 400 low-altitude flight routes.
