On October 26, during the 2024 Taihu Bay Wuxi Low-altitude Economic Innovation Development Conference, the “Certain Policy Measures to Support the High-quality Development of Low-altitude Economy in Wuxi” were officially unveiled.
As one of the central cities in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration and the Suzhou-Wuxi-Changzhou metropolitan area, Wuxi is characterized by a high concentration of high-value goods and affluent populations. This advantageous position creates a strong demand for high-efficiency logistics, rapid transportation, and low-altitude cultural tourism consumption. This year, Wuxi has identified low-altitude economy as a key sector for future development, aligning it with existing strengths in aerospace and leveraging synergies to cultivate new productive forces.
The newly released policy measures are guided by the principles of “phased advancement and precise rewards.” They focus on critical areas including enterprise cultivation, technological innovation, application scenarios, supporting environments, and element assurance. Notably, the measures provide support for equipment upgrades in manufacturing, the construction of specialized industrial parks, and the establishment of unmanned aerial vehicle testing zones.
In terms of encouraging technological innovation among enterprises in the supply chain, the policy measures offer phased rewards of up to 200 million yuan for various levels of key laboratories established in Wuxi. Additionally, new national and provincial technology innovation centers will receive rewards of up to 50 million yuan and 10 million yuan, respectively.
Scene development is one of the main engines driving the growth of low-altitude economy. To support this, the policy measures encourage the launch of short-range manned flights, the establishment of drone delivery routes, and the exploration of new application scenarios that combine low-altitude access with cultural and public services. For instance, companies are encouraged to offer flight coupons to promote aerial tours and flight experience projects.
Wuxi’s commitment to attracting talent is further emphasized in the policy measures, which support overseas high-level talent bringing projects, technologies, and financing to the city. A financial support of up to 100 million yuan is available for top-tier talent teams, while innovative leadership teams can receive up to 10 million yuan and 5 million yuan in funding.
To draw high-quality enterprises to the region, the measures encourage local governments to broaden global recruitment channels and intensify efforts in attracting low-altitude economic projects. Incentives of up to 30 million yuan are available for projects that have a significant overall impact.
To boost industry vitality, the policy measures also introduce stronger financial support mechanisms, including the establishment of a low-altitude economic industry fund to guide societal investment into early-stage tech firms. Qualified investment management organizations will receive funding incentives, and banks and insurance companies are encouraged to develop financial products tailored to the low-altitude economic sector.
During the conference, the “Wuxi Low-altitude Economic Development White Paper” was released, outlining Wuxi’s focus on two development lines: “new aviation and drones.” The strategy includes “three breakthroughs and two guarantees” (in industry levels, application scenarios, and airspace resources, alongside infrastructure and policy support) aimed at rapidly advancing the low-altitude economy into a formidable force and establishing a new growth point for the future economy.
According to the plan, by 2026, Wuxi’s low-altitude economy is projected to exceed 30 billion yuan, with a total of 300,000 flights and 200 take-off and landing points for low-altitude aircraft. By 2035, the economic output is expected to surpass 200 billion yuan, reaching 1.5 million flights and 400 take-off and landing points.
