Chengdu Launches Regular Low-Altitude Urban Logistics Routes

On May 22, 2026, four medium-sized eight-rotor logistics drones lifted off simultaneously in Chengdu, navigating along main roads and between buildings before landing at their destinations. The flight marked the official launch of Chengdu’s first regular low-altitude urban logistics routes — a milestone in China’s accelerating push to commercialize its low-altitude economy, according to Xinhua News.

What Is China’s Low-Altitude Economy?

China’s “low-altitude economy” encompasses all civil economic activity enabled by manned and unmanned flight in airspace generally below 1,000 meters, extending to 3,000 meters in designated corridors. The sector includes drone logistics, agricultural UAVs, industrial inspection, eVTOL passenger transport, and low-altitude tourism. As Daxue Consulting notes, the sector was first included in China’s central government work report in 2024 and has since been elevated to a “strategic emerging industrial cluster” in the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030). The Civil Aviation Administration of China projects the industry will reach RMB 1.5 trillion (approximately USD 211 billion) in 2025 and exceed RMB 3.5 trillion by 2035.

The Launch: Three Routes, 12 Drones

The initial phase of Chengdu’s low-altitude logistics network includes three routes operated by Sichuan Kongtian Zhihang Technology Co., Ltd. in partnership with Feng Wing Technology, a subsidiary of SF Express. A fleet of 12 medium-sized eight-rotor logistics drones has been deployed, each with a rated payload of 10 kilograms and a range of up to 20 kilometers, capable of navigating complex urban environments.

Flight times are remarkably efficient: two of the routes require just 11 minutes, while the longest route takes only 16 minutes. On opening day, 50 sorties were planned, with operations expected to exceed 100 sorties per day once normalized.

“Compared to traditional transportation methods, low-altitude urban logistics routes have improved average time by 2 to 3 times, and the comprehensive evaluation shows cost-effectiveness has doubled,” said You Yang, Vice President of Feng Wing Technology. He added that drone transport reduces cargo damage caused by multiple transfers, road bumps, and collisions.

Safety and Route Design in a Dense Urban Environment

Operating drones in a densely populated city presents unique challenges. Liu Zherui, General Manager of Kongtian Zhihang, explained that the team conducted extensive field surveys and planning. “In route design, we mainly selected urban main roads, riverways, and parks, adopting a low-altitude city-skimming flight mode of 80 to 120 meters,” Liu said. The routes strictly avoid hospitals, schools, and other densely populated areas, as well as airport clearance zones. A gridded, short-distance closed-loop design precisely adapts to high-frequency small-item instant delivery needs in the main urban area, supported by strict safety management protocols and emergency response plans.

Chengdu’s Strategic Position in the Low-Altitude Economy

Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, is positioning itself as the low-altitude economic center of western China. As a major aviation industry city, it is one of only three Chinese cities capable of developing both complete aircraft and engines. In December 2024, Chengdu became the first city in China to launch a pilot program for meteorological innovation supporting the low-altitude economy, as Devdiscourse reported. The city has since deployed 39 laser wind radars, 35 urban canopy observation stations, and 100 micro-meteorological stations to support safe low-altitude operations.

A National Policy Framework Taking Shape

The launch comes at a pivotal moment for China’s regulatory environment. As the State Council has highlighted, the low-altitude economy is being integrated into national strategic priorities. Mandatory national standards for UAV operational identification and real-name registration took effect on May 1, 2026, establishing a “one aircraft, one code, full traceability” regime. A revised Civil Aviation Law, effective July 1, 2026, will introduce a dedicated “development promotion” chapter with tiered airspace management rules below 300 meters. The National Development and Reform Commission’s “cargo before passengers” principle — prioritizing freight operations before passenger-carrying eVTOL services — is clearly reflected in Chengdu’s logistics-first approach.

The Bigger Picture: Drone Logistics at Scale

Chengdu’s launch is part of a broader national trend. Feng Wing Technology, the operating partner, has already accumulated over 1,400 cumulative routes and transported 5.9 million items. As Science and Technology Daily notes, China’s daily parcel volumes have surged from 100 million in 2019 toward one billion, and human-based logistics can no longer scale at the speed the market demands. Meituan has deployed 65 drone routes across multiple Chinese cities, completing over 740,000 commercial orders. In Tianjin Binhai New Area, a dedicated low-altitude medical express corridor has reduced cross-district transport of blood products from one hour to 18 minutes.

What’s Next

Chengdu’s regular logistics routes represent a transition from pilot programs to normalized commercial operations. The partnership between a local Chengdu company and a national leader like SF Express demonstrates how technology transfer and local adaptation are occurring across China’s regional clusters. With the Sichuan-Chongqing region focusing on mountainous low-altitude applications and targeting 1,500 new take-off and landing points by 2027, Chengdu’s launch may prove to be a blueprint for urban drone logistics across western China and beyond.

As China’s regulatory framework matures and infrastructure expands, the question is no longer whether drone logistics will become routine — but how quickly it will spread to cities around the world.