Sarawak pushes drone ecosystem to drive low-altitude economy

MIRI (March 31): Sarawak’s aspiration to develop a low-altitude economy is set to transform the state’s economic landscape and rural connectivity by leveraging a growing drone ecosystem for services such as medicine delivery, crop monitoring and emergency response.

State Transport Minister Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin said the initiative could address longstanding challenges faced by communities in the state’s vast interior, where access has traditionally depended on small aircraft navigating unpredictable weather to reach remote short take-off and landing airports (STOLports).

Speaking at the Aviation Safety Seminar 2026 here, he outlined a bold vision for advancing the low-altitude economy — a new economic layer in airspace below commercial flight levels — that could fundamentally reshape service delivery to remote areas.

“These include medical supply delivery to rural clinics, agricultural crop monitoring and precision farming, infrastructure inspection across remote terrain, environmental and forestry surveillance, and emergency response in disaster-prone regions,” he said.

The seminar, co-organised by the Sarawak Transport Ministry’s Aviation Division, Curtin University Malaysia, and the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM), is the third in a series following previous editions in Kuching (2024) and Sibu (2025).

It featured presentations and panel discussions involving industry players, academics and regulators, alongside exhibitions by stakeholders showcasing the latest aviation and drone technologies.

Lee said global developments indicate that the low-altitude airspace is rapidly emerging as a new economic frontier.

He noted that China has advanced its low-altitude economy through strong policy support, while Singapore is piloting unmanned traffic management systems and cross-border drone delivery trials.

The European Union, he added, has introduced harmonised frameworks to integrate drones safely into civil airspace.

“These developments signal a global transformation in aviation. The airspace below traditional commercial flight levels is rapidly becoming an economic domain.”

The minister also outlined a framework anchored on three pillars: safety; a smart, digitally-enabled ecosystem; and sustainability.

He said the ecosystem would be driven by technologies such as traffic management systems, geofencing, real-time monitoring and cybersecurity.

On sustainability, Lee stressed the importance of developing a skilled workforce to support the sector.

“Engineers, drone pilots, airspace planners, data analysts, cybersecurity specialists, and safety auditors will form the backbone of the Low Altitude Economy,” he said.

Lee welcomed the involvement of institutions such as Curtin University Malaysia, Swinburne University, i-CATS University College, and the Centre for Technology Excellence Sarawak (Centexs) in cultivating future aviation talent through research collaboration, curriculum development, and industry-linked training.

Currently, 120 trainees are enrolled in aircraft maintenance programmes at Centexs as Sarawak ramps up its aviation ambitions, including the launch of AirBorneo and its goal of becoming a second national airline hub.

Lee added that the seminar series has evolved from raising awareness to driving structured development.

In line with this, the ministry plans to explore pilot corridors in suitable rural and semi-urban areas, strengthen university and research partnerships, and encourage responsible industry participation as part of the state’s low-altitude economy strategy.