Hong Kong Pioneers The Low Altitude Economy

Playing in the sandbox with the city government

By: Timothy F. Hamlett

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No. It's the new Low Altitude Economy. This featured in the latest Five Year Plan for the Chinese economy, so Hong Kong loyally launched its own contribution last week in a blizzard of the usual platitudes, including “smart city,” “new business opportunities,” “new quality productive forces,” an “international hub” (of course) and “one of our nation's strategic emerging industries.”

The Low Altitude Economy actually appears to be longhand for drones, drones and more drones, up to and including passenger-carrying ones. One mainland enterprise has extended it to include the most beloved and doomed of technological blind alleys, the airship.

It is a plan that has taken a long time to get off the ground, so to speak. It was mentioned in last year’s national government work report and subsequently endorsed (surprise!) by our chief executive. The Hong Kong government has approved 38 projects, mellifluously known as Regulatory Sandbox Pilot Projects, which will be able to explore the edges of the current rather restrictive rules on weight, distance and flying further than the ground controller can see…