Da Nang is drafting a pilot programme for the "low-altitude economy" and aims for at least three drone-based service applications by 2028, Tuổi Trẻ reported on October 21. The proposal is still a draft.
Trần Ngọc Thạch, deputy director of the city Department of Science and Technology, said Da Nang's mix of dense urban areas, coast, rivers, islands, hills and forests, plus its airports, seaports and high-tech zones, gives it room to test the technology. Priority uses in the draft are last-mile delivery and logistics, tourism promotion, healthcare and search and rescue, agriculture, and urban and environmental management.
Thạch said the value lies not only in aircraft but in infrastructure, control software, data and flight-management platforms. In the department's approach the state would set up mechanisms, shared infrastructure and data and act as the first customer, while companies choose the technology and answer for results. Experts at a recent consultation urged close coordination with defence, security and aviation authorities and clear flight zones, corridors and licensing.
Why it matters: the draft would turn the city's recent drone tests into a regulated market. Still unknown: funding, the pilot's adoption date and where flights would be allowed.
Sources
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