Flying Low to Earn High: The Rise of Low Altitude Air Transport

From 23 to 26 July 2025, the “International Advanced Air Mobility Expo” was held in Shanghai, China. At its core were the ‘Low Altitude Air Transport’ (LAAT) technologies, highlighting growing state-driven progress in low altitude aviation technology and policy, anchored within a broader ambit of Low Altitude Economy (LAE). Just a month earlier, the city hosted the “Shanghai International Low Altitude Economy Industry Expo” for a similar purpose. In fact, China has been holding such events almost every month as part of a planned, government-led effort to bring together different sectors and strengthen its lead in this fast-growing area of aerospace. Apart from China, conferences and expos focused on low-altitude air platforms for advanced air mobility have already been held in Greater Noida, India (January 2025), and are scheduled to take place in Aichi Prefecture, Japan (September 2025), and London, UK (October 2025). Globally, such events reflect a trend of broadening aerospace priorities to encompass the emerging domain of low-altitude aerial platforms alongside traditional high-altitude commercial aviation.

Generally speaking, LAAT refers to a diverse range of aerial platforms that normally operate below 1,000 meters above ground level. LAAT platforms include Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), electric Vertical Takeoff & Landing (eVTOL) aircraft, and hybrid rotorcraft employing configurations such as vectored thrust, lift-and-cruise, and wingless designs, that may be flying autonomously or being remotely piloted. The broader LAAT ecosystem brings together the next-generation aircraft with essential infrastructure such as vertiports, charging stations, and low-altitude air corridors. Its success depends on evolving regulations that manage airspace, ensure safety, and address public concerns over noise, congestion, and privacy. Authorities like EASA are already setting airworthiness standards and launching public consultation processes to guide safe integration.

LAAT capabilities are no longer a distant prospect; they are actively being used in real-world environments. Three application areas merit mention: First are the densely populated urban centres wherein road congestion and traffic frequently hinder mobility, aerial commuting and air taxi services using low altitude platforms offer means for efficient point-to-point transport. Second, LAAT is enabling instant emergency medical response, refining precision agriculture and forestry monitoring, and supporting public safety operations in high-density zones. The third area of application is the sparsely populated or challenging terrains (such as deserts and hilly terrains) where conventional transport is constrained or absent; LAAT platforms are facilitating logistics and service delivery.

As of mid-2025, more than 260 vertiports worldwide are either operational or nearing completion, supporting point-to-point and pre-approved/pre-planned routes for LAAT operations. In the USA, capital investment in LAE is projected to reach approximately USD 100 billion by 2025. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has certified more than 10 electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) prototypes for limited commercial use, while automated delivery networks (such as those operated by Zipline and Wing) are executing tens of thousands of drone deliveries. In the Middle East, the UAE has undertaken trials of autonomous air taxi routes with USD 10 billion of investment, and Saudi Arabia is investing to integrate LAAT services into its futuristic NEOM project. In India, the LAAT/ LAE market is projected to grow from USD 1.2 billion in 2024 to over USD 4 billion by 2030, supported by enabling policies such as the Drone Rules 2021 and Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes. Upcoming eVTOL deployments (such as Archer Aviation’s plan for 200 air taxis and Chennai-based ePlane Company’s planned production of 100~200 eVTOL annually for air taxi/ambulance roles) are driving this momentum.

However, with an estimated USD 210 billion investment in LAE/LAAT, it is China that has emerged as the most ambitious player in this domain, being driven by cohesive, state-led efforts across policy-making, regulation, academia, and industry. The country also leads in drone innovation, accounting for nearly 70% of global drone patent filings. With more than 180 low-altitude air routes operational, six pilot cities designated, and over 25,000 drone flight hours approved monthly across logistics, healthcare, and public services, China has embedded LAAT development firmly into its national strategic planning. Projections indicate that China’s LAE may surpass 1.5 trillion yuan by the end of this year. This growth is supported by the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), which includes robust policy backing, regulatory sandboxes, and fiscal incentives. Over 300,000 commercial drones are currently registered, and dedicated air corridors have been established in multiple provinces. Beyond economic modernisation, China views LAAT as instrumental in achieving technological leadership, enhancing internal mobility, supporting decarbonization, and promoting socio-political resilience. Notably, civil-military fusion ensures that every advancement serves both civilian needs and national defence, underscoring the strategic depth of China’s LAE/ LAAT ambitions.

While China, Pakistan’s immediate neighbour and closest strategic partner, continues to consolidate its lead in LAE/ LAAT through focused and coordinated efforts, Pakistan remains in a state of institutional oblivion to this rapidly advancing domain. Although significant attention has been given to the R&D and operational deployment of drones for military purposes over the past two decades, little has been paid to the broader civilian and commercial potential of LAAT and LAE. A few pilot projects have explored drones in agriculture, but they remain limited, sporadic, and disconnected from any coherent national LAAT strategy, as Pakistan lacks a framework to conceptualise or implement LAAT as a broader mobility and logistics ecosystem. This institutional inattention persists despite Pakistan’s vast and logistically challenging terrain. The inhospitable mountains of Gilgit-Baltistan and Balochistan, along with the creek areas of Sindh, present clear use-cases for LAAT by enabling faster, more reliable delivery of medical supplies, e-commerce goods, and disaster relief in regions underserved by conventional transport mechanisms or where timely access remains a persistent challenge.

Still, Pakistan is not starting from zero, nor does it need to. It already possesses a capable domestic drone industry (at NESCOM, AWC, Integrated Dynamics, Woot Tech, etc.), characterised by dual-use technological capacity and selective public-sector involvement. What is urgently needed is a deliberate shift in strategic orientation from siloed, tactical projects to a nationally integrated approach aligned with the global LAE. This means elevating LAAT from a military-focused, experimental niche area of UAVs/ drones towards a mainstream enabler of service delivery, economic inclusion, and connectivity. Enabling this transition requires policy coherence, regulatory clarity, and institutional alignment across national regulatory bodies (such as the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority and Ministry of Science and Technology), the defence sector (including the PAF and SPD), and academia (e.g., NASTP and universities like NUST/ CAE, IST, GIKI, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, etc.). Once enabled, these foundations must be channelled toward strengthening the existing industrial base through deeper public-private collaboration, targeted skilling of human capital, and the development of specialised infrastructure (towards wider civilian use application areas) to support a robust LAAT/LAE ecosystem. This must be supported by adaptive regulatory frameworks, including sandboxed testing zones that allow safe trials of new technologies in real-world conditions before broader rollout. Today, if Pakistan acts strategically, it can align with global trends while localising a scalable model of low-altitude innovation tailored to its unique terrain and socio-economic priorities.

For Pakistan, the window to harness broader economic benefits from Low Altitude Air Transport is closing down. The ongoing piecemeal efforts in drone R&D and use, with military application as the primary focus, are no longer sufficient. What’s needed now is a unified national strategy, guided by the principle of “align globally, act locally,” that prioritises low-altitude innovation as a core driver of connectivity, resilience, and economic growth.

Inaction today, as the low-altitude economy is taking flight, will not just leave Pakistan behind: it risks forfeiting the economic benefits this frontier promises.