Weihua Liu, Tianjin University

Lei Xu, Civil Aviation University of China

Kannan Govindan, Adelaide University

Yang Cheng, Aalborg University

Driven by the deep integration of digital economy, intelligent manufacturing and modern logistics industry, low-altitude airspace resources have gradually become a key new carrier for breaking through the bottlenecks of traditional ground logistics. Low-altitude logistics, which is enabled by drones, unmanned aerial vehicles, intelligent terminals, digital platforms and low-altitude airspace management, has been emerging as a new frontier in logistics and supply chain management. Unlike traditional logistics systems that mainly rely on ground-based transportation, warehousing and distribution networks, it extends logistics operations into three-dimensional, air-ground integrated systems. This shift is closely related to the broader development of smart logistics, digital platforms and Industry 4.0, which have changed how logistics resources are connected, scheduled and governed.

Existing studies on drone-assisted parcel delivery, truck-drone coordination and drone-based logistics models have demonstrated the operational potential of this emerging mode. Meanwhile, research on urban air mobility and the environmental and societal implications of drone delivery suggests that low-altitude operations may reshape urban transport systems and logistics sustainability, although their value depends on network design, energy conditions, public acceptance, and regulatory readiness. Low-altitude logistics is therefore becoming an important application domain for last-mile delivery, emergency response, medical logistics, rural distribution and urban service logistics.

The International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications is well positioned to host this conversation. The journal has long published research on smart logistics, logistics technologies, supply chain risks, sustainable supply chains and logistics service networks, providing an important foundation for studying logistics systems shaped by new technologies and new organizational forms. More directly, recent influential studies have examined barriers to drone logistics implementation, consumer adoption of last-mile drone delivery, drone delivery logistics models for hyperlocal markets, and drones for supply chain management and logistics. These studies suggest that low-altitude logistics is not only a technological issue, but also a logistics and supply chain management issue involving adoption, coordination, governance, service design, sustainability and stakeholder acceptance.

The urgency of this Special Issue lies in the widening gap between fast-moving practice and still-fragmented academic understanding. Around the world, firms, cities and public agencies are experimenting with drone delivery, low-altitude mobility, emergency supply, medical distribution and air-ground logistics services, yet much of the existing research remains concentrated in routing optimization, technical feasibility or single-application analysis. How do logistics firms decide whether, when and how to adopt low-altitude logistics, given the organizational, regulatory and privacy barriers? How should low-altitude logistics be integrated with warehouses, fulfillment centers, ground fleets, urban distribution hubs and airport logistics systems, when hybrid logistics networks show both promise and complexity? How do consumers, communities and regulators respond to safety, privacy, noise, trust and airspace-use concerns, which have been shown to affect both drone delivery and urban air mobility acceptance? How can firms develop viable business models when low-altitude logistics requires new infrastructure, digital coordination, service guarantees and multi-stakeholder governance? Finally, how can low-altitude logistics contribute to sustainability, resilience and public value, while avoiding new externalities related to energy use, warehousing, unequal access and social acceptance? These questions reveal a pressing need for empirical research that connects technological experimentation with logistics and supply chain theory.

This Special Issue seeks to move low-altitude logistics research beyond isolated technological applications and toward a coherent logistics and supply chain research agenda. We call for empirically grounded studies that develop theoretical frameworks, uncover underlying mechanisms and examine scenario-based applications of low-altitude logistics in real organizational and institutional contexts. In particular, we invite research that explains how low-altitude logistics is adopted, organized, governed and evaluated; how it reshapes logistics networks, service processes and supply chain relationships; and how it affects logistics operational efficiency, resilience, sustainability, social acceptance and public value. As logistics systems face increasing pressure to become faster, greener, more resilient, and more responsive, the design, governance, and scaling of low-altitude logistics have become important questions for scholars, managers, policymakers, and practitioners.

Potential topics

• 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

Timeline

• July 30, 2026: Submission period opens
• March 31, 2027: Full paper submission deadline