Operational efficiency of China's low-altitude economy: Spatiotemporal patterns, policy drivers, and safety...

The rapid expansion of China's low-altitude economy (LAE) introduces complex challenges in airspace management, human-machine interaction, cybersecurity, and regulatory coordination, while direct provincial-level safety metrics remain limited. This study therefore examines operational efficiency as an indicator of operational capability and governance conditions, while exploring its potential relevance to safety-related resilience. Using a range directional model combined with a slacks-based measure on panel data from 30 Chinese provinces (2012-2023), together with spatial econometric techniques (global/local Moran's I) and a two-way fixed effects model, we find a cumulative 17.5% decline in national operational efficiency, persistent regional disparities following an Eastern > Central > Western gradient, stable spatial clustering with high-efficiency agglomerations in the Yangtze River Delta and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region versus low-efficiency clusters in the Western interior, hypervariable density accounting for 38.6% of inter-regional inequality, weak and mostly insignificant global spatial dependence indicating limited cross-provincial diffusion, and heterogeneous policy effects that are significantly positive only in Western provinces and negligible in developed Eastern regions. These findings indicate substantial differences in operational capability, resource coordination, and governance capacity across regions, providing insights into governance conditions relevant to future discussions of safety-related resilience. We conclude by proposing region-specific operational governance strategies, strengthened cross-jurisdictional coordination mechanisms, and continuous efficiency monitoring to support the sustainable development and resilience of China's low-altitude economy.