Hong Kong’s vision for low-altitude economy needs urban reality check

“Chinese carmakers race to build early advantage in flying car ventures” read a headline in this newspaper last week, reporting on the latest efforts by the companies to become leaders in the “low-altitude economy”. This buzz phrase, which encompasses everything from drone deliveries to autonomous flying taxis, seems to be viewed in Beijing as an important technological frontier.

Not to be left behind, Hong Kong recently announced plans for cross-border electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) routes and 38 pilot projects. Hong Kong officials are talking up this sector with the certainty of a preordained future, aligned with the mainland’s projections of a 2.5 trillion yuan (US$346.6 billion) market by 2035.

But how relevant is this vision for our dense city of skyscrapers and congested pavements? Does it really have the scale of an “economy” to justify the hype and public investment?

Let’s start with what should be obvious: flying taxis are not a scalable local transport solution for a city like Hong Kong. Even for those reluctant to use Hong Kong’s excellent public transport system, taxis and cars provide a convenient point-to-point service, with access to virtually every location in the city via our extensive, and mostly uncongested, road system.

Flying taxis will only have access to designated “vertiports”, requiring additional walking or driving to complete most journeys. This removes much of the appeal for those who will be able to afford such services when compared to spending the entire journey in the back seat of a chauffeured car.

There is a much better case to be made for eVTOL passenger services linking Hong Kong to cities around the Greater Bay Area. Flying over the complex geography of the region could cut travel times significantly compared to existing road and rail links. Unlike the current helicopter service from Shun Tak to Macau, eVTOL technology can probably scale up and support regular, scheduled routes, making them more accessible to the general public.

  

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