HKPC and Greater Bay Area Low-Altitude Economy Alliance Lead 50+ Organisations to Sign the “Joint Statement of Intent on Low-Altitude Aviation Standards and Interoperability” Supporting National and HKSAR Government Development Strategies Advancing Hong Kong as an International Hub for Low-Altitude Economy Standards and Collaboration

(Hong Kong, 21 September 2026) The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) and the Greater Bay Area Low-Altitude Economy Alliance (GBA LAEA), jointly initiated the “Joint Statement of Intent on Low-Altitude Aviation Standards and Interoperability” (the Statement of Intent). At the “Future of Low-Altitude Economy: An Inter-City Dialogue” forum recently held in September, representatives from over 50 industry, academia and professional organisations, signed the Statement of Intent to establish a collaborative framework for low-altitude aviation standards and interoperability, foster cross-border collaboration and promote the high-quality development of the industry. This initiative is highly aligned with the national 15th Five-Year Plan, the first Five-Year Plan for Hong Kong and the 2026 Policy Address, for the low-altitude economy and strategic emerging industries. It also leverages Hong Kong’s unique advantage of backed by the motherland and connected to the world, with a view to establishing Hong Kong as an international hub for low-altitude economy standards and collaboration.

As a technical partner of the HKSAR Government’s low-altitude economy “Regulatory Sandbox”, HKPC has been actively supporting the Government and industry in technology validation, standards development, talent training and application implementation. Building on its past practical experience in cross-border applications, multi-applications/users shared platform and Regulatory Sandbox projects, HKPC took the lead in initiating this Statement of Intent, inviting multiple industry and professional organisations to become supporting organisations, laying a solid foundation for the long-term development of the low-altitude economy.

Mr Mohamed BUTT, Executive Director of HKPC said: “HKPC fully supports the HKSAR Government’s Five-Year Plan and Policy Address measures for developing the low-altitude economy, which chart the direction for Hong Kong to advance strategic emerging industries and foster new productive forces. As the low-altitude economy develops rapidly, the coordination of standards and interoperability will be fundamental to scaling up the industry. HKPC is honoured to be an initiator of the Statement of Intent, joining forces with industry, academia and research partners in advancing low-altitude aviation standards research, technical collaboration and exchanges. Together, we aim to promote innovation, safety and coordinated development, while assisting Hong Kong to leverage its unique advantage of backed by the motherland and connected to the world, to build itself into an international hub for low-altitude economy standards and cooperation.”

Aligning with National and HKSAR Development Priorities to Drive High-Quality Growth of the Low-Altitude Economy
The national 15th Five-Year Plan, the first Five-Year Plan of Hong Kong and the 2026 Policy Address identify the low-altitude economy as an important direction for advancing innovation and technology, cultivating new productive forces and promoting industrial upgrading. The Five-Year Plan proposes to build the Asia-Pacific hub for low-altitude innovative applications, and advancing cross-border low-altitude logistics and coordinated industrial development in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area; the Policy Address proposes to formulate and implement the “Action Plan on Developing Low-Altitude Economy”, focusing on promoting cross-border low-altitude logistics trial flights, the construction of an intelligent low-altitude traffic management system, and legislative work for non-conventional aircraft weighing over 150 kg, providing important institutional support for the industrialisation, scaling-up and cross-border development of the low-altitude economy. These measures signify that Hong Kong is gradually moving from low-altitude economy application validation to the stage of scaled development, and standards coordination, technical interoperability and cross-border collaboration, serving as key foundations for the industry’s long-term growth.

In support of the development strategies of the nation and the HKSAR Government, HKPC and GBA LAEA, jointly initiated the “Statement of Intent on Low-Altitude Aviation Standards and Interoperability”, to establish a collaborative framework for low-altitude aviation standards, fostering collaborative innovation among industry, academia and research sectors, and accelerating the implementation of low-altitude economy technologies and industrial development.

Uniting Industry, Academia and Research Sectors to Advance Standards and Interoperability in Low-Altitude Aviation
Under the Statement of Intent, all parties will focus on promoting coordination and cooperation in four key areas, including research on airworthiness and safety certification standards for aircraft; air traffic management (UTM); infrastructure and cybersecurity standards coordination; the construction of a cross-border low-altitude logistics and data interoperability framework in the Greater Bay Area; and the promotion of international standards for the low-altitude economy and global cooperation and exchange. All parties will refer to the airworthiness and safety certification frameworks of the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department, the Civil Aviation Administration of China and other international aviation regulatory bodies, and jointly study the safety, compliance and technical benchmarks for unmanned aircraft, electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) and other new types of aircraft, promoting low-altitude aviation standards coordination and cross-regional interoperability, and further enhancing the international competitiveness of the Greater Bay Area’s low-altitude economy development.

Advancing Alignment with International Standards and Building a Global Collaboration Platform for the Low-Altitude Economy
The Statement of Intent also sets out long-term goals, including promoting the establishment of a permanent international low-altitude aviation standards and interoperability cooperation platform, and promoting exchanges and cooperation with international organisations such as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA), so as to foster broader international consensus and cooperation mechanisms.
Looking ahead, HKPC will continue to serve as an important bridging role connecting government, industry, academia, research and investment sectors. Guided by its development direction of “rooted in Hong Kong, leveraging with GBA, serving the nation and bridging the world”, HKPC will work with the Government, industry and academia to continuously advance low-altitude aviation standards development, interoperability collaboration and innovative application validation. It will also accelerate the commercialisation of R&D outcomes and the implementation of cross-border scenarios, cultivate new quality productive forces in the low-altitude economy, and support Hong Kong in developing into an international innovation and technology centre and an important hub for the global low-altitude economy.

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Witnessed by Ms Mable CHAN, JP, Secretary for Transport and Logistics of the HKSAR Government (centre, front row), Ms Elizabeth QUAT, SBS, JP, Legislative Council Member (fourth from right, front row), Mr Mohamed BUTT, MH, Executive Director of HKPC (third from right, front row), Professor Nancy IP, President of HKUST (sixth from left, front row) and Professor Tim CHENG, Vice-President of HKUST (fifth from left, front row), and Dr Winnie TANG, MH, JP, Vice President of the Greater Bay Area Low-Altitude Economy Alliance (fourth from left, front row), representatives of over 50 organisations from industry, academia and professional organisations signed the “Joint Statement of Intent on Low-Altitude Aviation Standards and Interoperability”, jointly initiated by HKPC and the Greater Bay Area Low-Altitude Economy Alliance.