The impact of low-altitude airspace opening policy on aviation manufacturing innovation: A double machine learning approach

IF 6.8 1区工程技术 Q1 ECONOMICS

Transportation Research Part A-Policy and Practice Pub Date : 2025-09-08 DOI:10.1016/j.tra.2025.104660

Linan Zhao , Yanru Chen , M.I.M. Wahab

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Since 2010, China has been reforming low-altitude airspace management and has implemented the low-altitude airspace opening policy aimed at reducing the restrictions on low-altitude airspace and stimulating the development of the low-altitude economy. To explore the implications of the low-altitude airspace opening policy (LAAOP) and promote innovation development in enterprises, this paper employs double machine learning-based causal inference methods to examine the impact of the policy on aviation manufacturing industry innovation, using data from listed Chinese aviation manufacturing firms between 2003 and 2023. The results indicate that the policy has enhanced the innovation capacity of the sector. The conclusion is robustly validated through both Difference-in-Differences (DiD) and Generalized Random Forest (GRF) models. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the policy exerts a stronger positive effect on the drone enterprises, state-owned enterprises, and coastal region enterprises. Accordingly, this paper offers a series of policy recommendations to optimize policy implementation and promote high-quality development within China’s aviation manufacturing industry.

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低空空域开放政策对航空制造创新的影响：双机器学习方法

自2010年以来，中国一直在进行低空空域管理改革，实施了旨在减少对低空空域限制、促进低空经济发展的低空空域开放政策。为了探讨低空空域开放政策对企业创新发展的影响，本文采用基于双机器学习的因果推理方法，利用2003 - 2023年中国航空制造上市公司的数据，研究了低空空域开放政策对航空制造业创新的影响。结果表明，该政策增强了产业创新能力。通过差分中差（DiD）和广义随机森林（GRF）模型对结论进行了稳健验证。异质性分析表明，政策对无人机企业、国有企业和沿海地区企业的正向作用更强。据此，本文提出了一系列政策建议，以优化政策实施，促进中国航空制造业的高质量发展。

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来源期刊

Transportation Research Part A-Policy and Practice 工程技术-运输科技

CiteScore

13.20

自引率

7.80%

发文量

257

审稿时长

9.8 months

期刊介绍： Transportation Research: Part A contains papers of general interest in all passenger and freight transportation modes: policy analysis, formulation and evaluation; planning; interaction with the political, socioeconomic and physical environment; design, management and evaluation of transportation systems. Topics are approached from any discipline or perspective: economics, engineering, sociology, psychology, etc. Case studies, survey and expository papers are included, as are articles which contribute to unification of the field, or to an understanding of the comparative aspects of different systems. Papers which assess the scope for technological innovation within a social or political framework are also published. The journal is international, and places equal emphasis on the problems of industrialized and non-industrialized regions. Part A''s aims and scope are complementary to Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Part C: Emerging Technologies and Part D: Transport and Environment. Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review. Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour. The complete set forms the most cohesive and comprehensive reference of current research in transportation science.