Chen Meibao: The first batch of low-altitude economic "regulatory sandboxes" in Hong Kong currently has 32 projects on the ground, including logistics distribution, technology applications, and more.

On January 19, Hong Kong Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mr. Frank Chan attended the second Low Altitude Summit hosted by the University of Hong Kong and said that significant progress has been made in promoting local applications. Since the announcement of the first batch of low-altitude economic regulatory sandbox projects in March last year, a total of 38 pilot projects have been approved, with 32 projects currently being implemented, covering areas such as logistics distribution, technology applications, emergency rescue, and maintenance of railway equipment. Mr. Chan shared that he had attended several project promotion activities, with one noteworthy project being the drone project from Cyberport to Cheung Chau Hospital, used for transporting emergency supplies such as blood serum or medical supplies. Normally, these items rely on scheduled ferry transportation, but medical drugs cannot be stored for too long. Drones can greatly reduce distance and costs, so they can be used for emergency transportation. The project has conducted 60 test flights so far. Mr. Chan continued by stating that the first batch of sandbox projects will continue, and efforts are being made to assist more mature projects in moving towards commercialization, scaling, and normalization. Therefore, the Civil Aviation Department has been requested to provide guidelines on three aspects, including beyond visual line of sight operations and the operation of small drones. Mr. Chan encouraged the industry or citizens to actively propose demonstration arrangements for drone operations and seamlessly integrate them into social services through the guidelines provided by the Civil Aviation Department. Furthermore, Mr. Chan emphasized the importance of creating economic value in low-altitude economy development. In addition to the projects mentioned earlier, other projects such as railway equipment maintenance, external wall or glass window cleaning for buildings, and emergency rescue are being experimented with. These operations can reduce costs and improve efficiency in urban management or public services, thereby creating economic value. Mr. Chan also mentioned the need for a safe, efficient, and scalable low-altitude economic airspace and infrastructure blueprint. He highlighted three major initiatives - the launch of the extended regulatory sandbox "X" program, development of a low-altitude airspace management system, and regulatory measures to support the development of the low-altitude economy. In conclusion, Mr. Chan called for support from Hong Kong as an ideal place for government-industry-academic-research collaboration to leverage its mature legal system and vibrant financial platform to better utilize the advantages of being part of China and connecting with the world in developing the low-altitude economy as a new productive industry. He encouraged participation in the Summit's afternoon workshop to enrich future drone test fields and enhance the "sandbox X" project towards commercialization and scaling.