On June 18, the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of the autonomous region convened a meeting to deliberate on and plan the work related to the low - altitude economic development in the autonomous region, once again sending a clear signal that Xinjiang is seizing the opportunities presented by the low - altitude economic development and accelerating the high-quality advancement of the low-altitude economy.
The low-altitude economy is a comprehensive and novel economic form that takes the airspace below 1000 meters as its core carrier (which can be extended to 3000 meters in special operation scenarios), employs civil manned and unmanned aircraft as its main components, is propelled by multi-scenario low-altitude flight activities such as passenger and cargo transportation and other operations, and radiates and promotes the integrated development in the fields of commercial activities or public services.
Agricultural plant protection drones, flight shuttles in scenic areas, and low - altitude intelligent logistics... In recent years, with the advancement of general aviation technology, the low-altitude economy has been rapidly permeating people's daily lives, bringing revolutionary changes to numerous traditional industries.
In December 2023, the Central Economic Work Conference officially designated the "low-altitude economy" as a strategic emerging industry in China. In 2024, the low-altitude economy was included in the Government Work Report for the first time as a "new growth engine". The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China explicitly proposed to "develop general aviation and the low-altitude economy". In the 2026 Government Work Report, the low-altitude economy was listed alongside integrated circuits, aerospace, and biomedicine, and was officially recognized as a national "emerging pillar industry".
From the perspective of industrial development, China's low - altitude economy has entered a phase of rapid growth. In 2023, the national low - altitude economic market scale reached 505.95 billion yuan. It is projected that it will exceed 1 trillion yuan in 2026 and is anticipated to reach 3.5 trillion yuan by 2035.
The low - altitude economy will become another trillion-level blue-ocean sector after the digital economy and the green economy.
The substantial potential of the low-altitude economy primarily stems from the following characteristics:
The industry exhibits a robust driving force for development, which facilitates the technological iteration in fields such as composite materials, intelligent sensing, low-altitude communication, and new - energy batteries.
This, in turn, propels the transformation and upgrading of high-end manufacturing. It broadens the three-dimensional development scope of the territory, overcomes the constraints of two - dimensional development, addresses the development challenges of high construction costs and limited accessibility associated with the ground transportation infrastructure in remote, mountainous, desert, and alpine regions, and reconfigures the logic of regional spatial development.
It enables the comprehensive integration of the real economy. Low-altitude equipment offers efficient means for large-scale agriculture, ecological protection, and emergency rescue and disaster relief, significantly enhancing work efficiency. It endows traditional industries with technology to cut costs, boost efficiency, and realize transformation and upgrading.
In the context of Xinjiang, the low - altitude economy not only possesses the aforementioned advantages but also features outstanding development endowments. Xinjiang has first - class airspace resources within the country. It offers superior flight conditions, favorable clear - air conditions, controllable interference from extreme weather, and low costs for enterprises in flight operations and airspace coordination. It is well - suited for long - endurance drones, regular general aviation flight training, and related operations.
The general aviation infrastructure is highly developed. A total of 29 civil transport airports have been constructed and put into operation throughout the region, ranking first in the country in terms of quantity. A number of general airports have been gradually put into operation, and general aviation services have achieved "coverage for every county and every regiment" in key areas and key regiments.
The low-altitude economy is characterized by a rich and diverse array of application scenarios throughout, with a high level of compatibility between supply and demand. Xinjiang's characteristic and advantageous industries, including modern agriculture, energy infrastructure operation and maintenance, cultural and tourism consumption, and cross-border logistics, offer extensive scope for the development of the low-altitude economy.
Presently, the low-altitude economy has emerged as a typical exemplar of new-quality productive forces. It represents a strategic decision for cultivating new competitive edges, generating new growth drivers, establishing new industrial trajectories, and enhancing new development impetus. Across the nation, all provincial - level administrative regions are seizing this crucial development opportunity. Over 20 provinces have issued top - level design documents, such as action plans and implementation guidelines, for the development of the low-altitude economy, and relevant working mechanisms have been established. A transformation in the low - altitude economy has quietly taken place.
Over the past two years, Xinjiang has been actively taking actions and accelerating the deployment in the low-altitude economy field. The Party Committee of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has been committed to treating the development of the low-altitude economy as a major matter, organizing forces to conduct comprehensive and in-depth research, and making specific arrangements. The safety-guarantee industrial chain of Xinjiang's low-altitude economy, which encompasses aspects from technology R & D, platform construction, and talent cultivation to equipment manufacturing and scenario operation, has initially taken shape.
The low - altitude economy in Xinjiang has entered a new development stage, transitioning from single - point breakthrough to all - area coordination. Generally speaking, the development of the low - altitude economy in Xinjiang is of great significance for cultivating local high - quality productive forces, balancing urban and rural public services, enhancing the development level of advantageous industries, and creating new competitive edges. Xinjiang will actively establish a high - quality low - altitude economy industrial system, explore new models and approaches for the development of the low - altitude economy, and promote the industry to a higher level.
Specifically, Xinjiang will continue to leverage its potential advantages in resources, location, etc. It will expedite the construction of low - altitude infrastructure and actively incorporate low - altitude infrastructure construction into the development of other infrastructure, including water networks and power grids. Additionally, it will accelerate the establishment of the low - altitude intelligent networked system and continuously enhance the supervision system to firmly safeguard the safety baseline and strengthen the foundation for development.
Meanwhile, with low-altitude manufacturing as the cornerstone, Xinjiang will develop low-altitude manufacturing industries, such as low-altitude equipment, low-altitude materials, and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) assembly, in accordance with local conditions. It will coordinate scientific and technological innovation resources and forces, conduct research and development and manufacturing of relevant low-altitude technologies, and expedite industrial agglomeration. The core of the low - altitude economy lies in the dual-wheel drive of "scenarios + technology". Xinjiang will also broaden low - altitude application scenarios. By relying on low - altitude applications, it will empower various industries, with a focus on fields such as cultural tourism, logistics and transportation, and characteristic agriculture and animal husbandry. It will expand more commercial and public - welfare application scenarios based on actual circumstances to better serve the production and life of people of all ethnic groups.