Low-altitude Economic Development

The low-altitude economy refers to integrated economic activities based on low-altitude airspace. Currently, Macau's low-altitude economy is mainly focused on cross-border helicopter passenger transport, with helicopter operators providing two routes - between Macau and Hong Kong, and between Macau and Shenzhen. Additionally, in the field of aviation tourism, passengers can request the operator for helicopter sightseeing services.

At present, Macau's unmanned aircraft activities are for commercial aerial photography and personal leisure and entertainment, with some activities also involving construction site recording and inspection, as well as cultural heritage surveying. In 2023, there were 7,780 unmanned aircraft activities, of which 885 required approval from the Civil Aviation Authority. From January to July 2024, there were 4,181 unmanned aircraft activities, of which 710 required submission of applications to the Civil Aviation Authority.

In 2021, the Civil Aviation Authority implemented the Administrative Order No. 43/2021, which revised the "Air Navigation Regulation of Macau" and updated the restrictions on unmanned aircraft activities. When approving the applications, the Civil Aviation Authority evaluates the location, time, and weight of the unmanned aircraft model, with the aim of allowing users to legally enjoy their leisure while ensuring safety, controlling safety risks, and protecting the Macao residents and the World Heritage buildings.

The cultivation of the low-altitude economy needs to be combined with the actual situation of the local industrial ecology and grasp the right scale of orderly development. An important aspect of this order is to ensure proper safety assurance. Therefore, from technology introduction, flight demonstration to industrial ecology cultivation, systematic planning is required, and a relatively long cycle is needed to achieve sustainable and high-quality industry development. Due to Macao's limited airspace, with most of the airspace belonging to the protection zones of Macau International Airport and the heliports, as well as Macao's complex geographical environment, dense population and high-rise buildings, Macau's development of the low-altitude economy must be tailored to local conditions and comprehensively consider factors such as aviation safety, security, and personal privacy. The Macau SAR government will take a step-by-step approach, starting with researching the application scenarios of cargo logistics, while also continuing to monitor the updates to legal requirements for unmanned aircraft operations in other regions, to study how Macau can promote the development of the low-altitude economy in terms of legislation, technical requirements, and airspace management coordination in the future.