MITI To Drive Low-Altitude Economy Development With Unmanned Valley Ecosystem Project
By Zufazlin Baharuddin
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 25 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) will implement the Unmanned Valley Ecosystem pilot project to drive the development of the low-altitude economy (LAE).
LAE refers to economic activities and public services conducted within a low-altitude airspace ecosystem using technologies such as drones, advanced air mobility (AAM), air logistics, infrastructure inspection, smart farming, and emergency services.
The sector also includes unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), air taxis, and vertical take-off and landing electric aircraft (eVTOLs).
Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Sim Tze Tzin said the project would be carried out under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), with the proposed pilot project to be located at universities.
“The government under the National Aerospace Industry Corporation of Malaysia (NAICO Malaysia) is planning to establish an ‘unmanned valley’, where all flights, including the vertiport system, can be tested.
“Rolling out the pilot project at universities will attract the younger generation because, ultimately, they will be the ones to use this technology,” he told Bernama after appearing on Bernama TV’s Ruang Bicara programme titled “Low-Altitude Economic Development, Digitalisation & Aerospace,” on Monday.
Sim, however, said that they are also open to suggestions for other suitable locations to implement the pilot project.
He said the pilot project’s implementation must take into account several challenges, especially regarding safety, to ensure the technology can be tested and developed properly.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke previously said the LAE guidelines are expected to be announced by the end of this year, providing a regulatory, operational, and governance framework to ensure safe airspace integration in the sector.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) is developing the guidelines, which are expected to be announced at the Asian Transport Expo (TXA) 2026.
-- BERNAMA