On July 22, Huai'an released the Implementation Plan for Accelerating the High-Quality Development of the Low-Altitude Economy (hereinafter referred to as the "Implementation Plan"). By 2027, the city aims to significantly enhance the clustering effect of its low-altitude economy industry, establish a foundational scale of low-altitude infrastructure, and gradually build a safe, efficient, and interconnected infrastructure network for the low-altitude economy. The plan also envisions the creation of distinctive and replicable application demonstration scenarios across sectors such as public services, logistics and delivery, and cultural tourism.

The low-altitude economy represents a key track in the development of strategic emerging industries and is a typical example of new quality productive forces. Characterized by a long industrial chain, high technological intensity, and broad application scenarios, it holds significant growth potential. To advance the high-quality development of Huai'an's low-altitude economy, the city is seizing the strategic opportunity presented by national and provincial support for innovation in this sector. The Implementation Plan outlines five key focus areas and fourteen critical initiatives, aiming to make the low-altitude economy a new driver of the city's new quality productive forces and to establish Huai'an as a leading hub for low-altitude economic development in the northern Yangtze River Delta.

Huai'an is working to standardize the layout of low-altitude infrastructure. The city will coordinate the development of a low-altitude infrastructure network and conduct planning research for new low-altitude infrastructure to build a tiered and categorized system. It will improve information infrastructure by advancing the orderly construction of facilities for low-altitude communication, navigation, surveillance, meteorology, and electromagnetic monitoring, continuously expanding network coverage. Low-altitude air routes will be planned by leveraging the development of general aviation airports and the layout of functional takeoff and landing sites, with the goal of building an integrated air route network for both manned and unmanned aircraft.

Huai'an is working to cultivate a low-altitude industrial system. The city will promote development across the entire industry chain—including R&D and manufacturing, infrastructure development, operation and production, flight services, education and training, and scenario-based applications—to accelerate the formation of a clustering effect in the low-altitude economy. Efforts will be made to enhance enterprises' manufacturing capabilities by leveraging the "353" strategic emerging industries' integration cluster and focusing on key sectors such as next-generation information technology and intelligent manufacturing equipment. Special attention will be given to critical components like engines, power systems, flight control, and sensors, in order to strengthen R&D and production of low-altitude equipment. The city will also actively attract investment in low-altitude industry projects by targeting various segments of the industrial chain, with a focus on complete aircraft R&D and manufacturing, infrastructure construction, low-altitude operations, and support services.

Huai'an is working to build diverse application scenarios. The city will enrich applications in the public service sector by continuously innovating and expanding use cases, deepening the integration of public data across various domains, and selecting a number of replicable demonstration scenarios for development and gradual citywide promotion. It will construct low-altitude logistics and transportation scenarios by focusing on the needs of trunk, branch, and last-mile delivery, supporting demonstration applications of UAV intercity transport and last-mile delivery at key nodes such as airports, high-speed rail stations, and logistics parks. Pilot programs will gradually be expanded to establish a low-altitude logistics and delivery system linking cities, counties (districts), towns (subdistricts), and villages (communities). Huai'an will also expand application scenarios in culture, sports, and tourism by leveraging its natural landscapes, ecological resources, and cultural assets to open air routes connecting scenic areas, resorts, and theme parks. Efforts will be made to strengthen supply-demand matching in scenario development by enhancing government-enterprise collaboration to discover and showcase high-quality scenario solutions, align scenario supply and demand, and develop a series of flagship low-altitude application scenarios and best-practice cases.

Huai'an is working to encourage scientific and technological innovation. The city will promote breakthroughs in core technologies of the low-altitude economy by aligning with the industry's foundation and application needs, accelerating the research and upgrading of key technologies in areas such as complete aircraft, critical components, and foundational software. Efforts will also be strengthened in cultivating talent, with increased focus on training and attracting high-level professionals and innovative teams in the low-altitude economy sector to develop in Huai'an.

Huai'an is working to strengthen service management and safeguards for the low-altitude sector. The city will establish a comprehensive testing base for low-altitude aircraft to effectively support operational risk assessment, finalization and identification, mission load verification, data link testing, and operator training. Low-altitude safety supervision will be enhanced by creating cross-departmental and cross-sector joint regulatory mechanisms to improve safety risk management and by establishing a sound emergency response system for low-altitude flight operations.