Low-altitude economy rules 'must allow for taxi tests'
Lawmaker Chan Siu-hung, second left, says more relaxations of rules are needed so businesses can carry out trials on the transport of people and heavier cargo loads in the future. Photo: RTHK
The Low Altitude Economy Association on Wednesday suggested 13 ways that the government can expand the development potential of the new industrial sector.
One of its suggestions is for unmanned aircraft weighing more than 150 kilogrammes to come under regulatory oversight.
The suggestion comes in the wake of amendments to the Small Unmanned Aircraft Order of the Civil Aviation Ordinance coming into effect on Friday that regulates such aerial vehicles weighing between 25 and 150 kilogrammes.
Machines exceeding the 150 kilogramme limit will have to obtain permission from the Civil Aviation Department before they can take flight.
Speaking for the association, lawmaker Chan Siu-hung said more relaxations were needed to enable businesses to perform trials on transporting humans and cargo.
'We must be mindful that you need to carry out a series of pilot runs or trial runs in order to collect sufficient data to assess safety implications as well as the risks associated with such a pilot," he said.
"Rather than allow the carrying of real persons on the unmanned aerial vehicles, the government should think of allowing the carrying of dummies with the same size as well as similar weight for the purpose of trial runs," he added.
Chan's association and legislative colleague Frankie Yick said the government should also develop more cross-border logistical routes through waterways despite high expectations for the low-altitude economic potential associated with the Northern Metropolis.
'At the end of the day, we will to have much more than one [flight] route," he said.
"The Northern Metropolis is one of the places that we are talking about because it is close to the Shenzhen area, but how about other parts of the Guangdong area?
"Or even in the future if we can, we can go even further to Guangxi, because we can fly [unmanned aircraft] all over the sea."
Among the other suggestions are for a comprehensive training system to be instituted for those looking to use such aircraft and for a department to be set up specifically to promote the development of the low-altitude economy.
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