Low-Altitude Logistics: Theoretical Frameworks, Underlying Mechanisms and Scenario-Based Applications

Éditeurs invités

• Weihua Liu, Tianjin University
• Lei Xu, Civil Aviation University of China
• Kannan Govindan, Adelaide University
• Yang Cheng, Aalborg University

Synthèse

Low-altitude logistics, enabled by drones and digital platforms integrated with ground transportation systems, represents an emerging frontier in logistics and supply chain management. While existing research has explored drone-assisted delivery and truck-drone coordination, significant gaps remain between rapid real-world experimentation and fragmented academic understanding. The special issue addresses critical questions about adoption barriers, network integration, stakeholder acceptance, business model viability, and sustainability implications of low-altitude logistics systems.

The journal invites empirically grounded studies that develop theoretical frameworks, uncover underlying mechanisms, and examine scenario-based applications of low-altitude logistics. Research should explain how organizations adopt and govern these systems, how they reshape logistics networks and service processes, and how they affect operational efficiency, resilience, sustainability, and public value. The special issue seeks to establish a coherent research agenda moving beyond isolated technological applications.

Thèmes proposés

• Theoretical frameworks and future research directions for low-altitude logistics
• Adoption, implementation, and diffusion of drone logistics
• Consumer acceptance and user perceptions of last-mile drone delivery
• Low-altitude logistics networks and air-ground collaborative distribution
• Smart logistics nodes, digital platforms, and infrastructure for low-altitude logistics
• Low-altitude logistics for urban last-mile delivery, instant retail, and on-demand services
• Drone-enabled emergency logistics, medical logistics, and humanitarian operations
• Low-altitude logistics for remote regions, islands, and mountainous communities
• Low-altitude logistics applications in airport cargo, air express, and air-ground freight connection
• Cold-chain, fresh food, and pharmaceutical delivery enabled by low-altitude logistics
• Low-altitude logistics for urban public services, infrastructure inspection, and smart city operations
• Business models, service innovation, and value creation in low-altitude logistics
• Supply chain coordination and governance in low-altitude logistics ecosystems
• Safety, privacy, regulation, and institutional challenges in drone logistics
• Sustainability, resilience, and social impacts of low-altitude logistics
• Empirical methods, data sources, and measurement issues in low-altitude logistics research
• Sustainability policies, governance mechanisms, and environmental impacts of low-altitude logistics
• Value chain development, industrial ecosystems, and empirical mechanisms in low-altitude logistics