Hunan Leads China in Low-Altitude Airspace Reform but Lacks eVTOL Operations, Survey Finds

A survey of Hunan province's advanced air mobility and drone ecosystem identified 16 companies, state bodies and facilities across two clusters, Changsha and Zhuzhou, with six entities active, two planning, four at announcement stage and four unverified. Hunan is the fifth province covered in the China series, following Guangdong, Anhui, Sichuan and Shanghai, and the survey confirms Hunan was the first province to conduct a province-wide pilot of low-altitude airspace reform after the national air traffic authority approved its expanded pilot programme on 1 September 2020. The provincial industry department stated in July 2021 that this followed earlier partial-area pilots in Sichuan and Hainan, and by 2023 the province reported 171 airspace units and 97 visual routes below 3,000 metres.

Industrial activity is concentrated in Zhuzhou, which produces light sport aircraft, aircraft engines and a large cargo drone, with drone delivery routes opened in 2024. No passenger eVTOL operations were found in the province, and Hunan holds no CAAC test zone or base designation, though it was applying for one as of December 2025.

On funding, the province published 300,000 yuan in drone route incentives in June 2025 and 20.6 million yuan in low-altitude project awards in June 2026, totalling 20.9 million yuan, with the survey noting every award is a proposal not yet confirmed as paid. Larger figures cited, including a 2 billion yuan fund target and registered capital amounts, are subsidy ceilings or registered capital and are not counted toward that total. Each entity's status carries its own verification date, and the survey is based on primary documents from provincial and city governments, the CAAC regional administration and company releases.