Elizabeth Quat Pei-fan, founding president of the Greater Bay Area Low-altitude Economy Alliance, on Friday underlined the diverse application scenarios for Hong Kong’s aerial activities, citing the “enthusiastic response” to the sector's regulatory sandbox pilot projects.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government has received proposals from 72 applicants within two months, with the alliance “successfully supporting and promoting” over 20 of these projects, according to Quat, who is also a Hong Kong lawmaker.

The proposed applications span a variety of fields, including medical services, cross-border transportation, site surveying, building inspections, logistics, sightseeing and urban safety.

READ MORE: HK seeks more collaboration with GBA on low-altitude economy

Launched in November last year, Hong Kong’s low-altitude economy regulatory sandbox is a key government initiative aimed at facilitating industry stakeholders to test and trial project concepts within pre-defined air routes in a controlled and safe environment.

Unlike traditional aviation involving civilian and military flights, the low-altitude economy is characterized by manned and unmanned aerial activities in airspace below 1,000 meters and extending to not more than 3,000 meters.

The HKSAR government has engaged the Hong Kong Productivity Council as a technical partner and teamed up with Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corp and Hong Kong Cyberport Management Co Ltd to provide venues for operations.

Additionally, the government will continue to monitor and reference the application areas for the low-altitude economy in mainland cities, making adjustments in Hong Kong based on local circumstances, according to Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan in a statement last December.

Quat expressed hope that the government would expedite the approval process, announce the results soon, and enable test flights to begin in the first quarter of this year.

READ MORE: HKSAR forges ahead with plans to develop low-altitude economy

She also suggested that passenger-carrying and cargo-carrying projects should be developed simultaneously. Drawing from the Chinese mainland's experience, the lawmaker proposed that passenger-carrying trials could begin with dummies to accelerate testing related to technology, flight route safety, and other critical aspects.

Contact the writer at evanliu@chinadailyhk.com