A courier recently handed over a document at the Shenhua takeoff and landing site near Fengdeng Street in Gongshu District. After a quick handover with ground staff, a drone whisked it into the sky. Ten minutes later, the package touched down at the Wulin Hospital landing site in the city center, where another courier picked it up for final delivery.

“What used to take nearly an hour by road can now be done in about 30 minutes with our ‘courier + drone’ combo,” said a transport official from the city’s transit authority. Since last year, the city has been piloting low-altitude logistics business models, aiming to make drone courier services a real-world reality. The goal: more safe, commercially viable, and user-friendly applications that boost industries and benefit everyday folks.

Hangzhou already launched 113 low-altitude routes last year, 58 of which were for logistics. Total low-altitude flight time in the city hit 229,000 hours. This year, the city plans to add another 100 routes—half of them for logistics—along with 10 new public takeoff and landing sites and 100 last-mile drone pads, all to give the low-altitude economy a serious lift.

Going forward, Hangzhou will double down on its “low-altitude + courier” model, speeding up upgrades and creating a blueprint for low-altitude logistics that can be replicated and rolled out elsewhere. The transport authority will also continue building out low-altitude infrastructure, fine-tuning operations, and bringing in top-tier industry players to help supercharge the sector’s high-quality growth.