International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications

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

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 (Kouvelis et al., 2006; Olsen and Tomlin, 2020; Liu et al., 2022). Existing studies on drone-assisted parcel delivery, truck-drone coordination and drone-based logistics models have demonstrated the operational potential of this emerging mode (Murray and Chu, 2015; Agatz et al., 2018; Moshref-Javadi and Winkenbach, 2021). 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 (Goodchild and Toy, 2018; Stolaroff et al., 2018; Garrow et al., 2021). 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 (Czakon et al., 2020; Ding et al., 2021; Taboada and Shee, 2021; Srivastava and Rogers, 2022). More directly, IJLRA has already published influential studies on drone logistics. Sah et al. (2021) examine barriers to drone logistics implementation and identify regulation, privacy and security as critical constraints; Leon et al. (2023) investigate how privacy, legislation, organizational trust and perceived usefulness influence consumers’ intention to adopt last-mile drone delivery; Pachayappan and Sundarakani (2023) develop a drone delivery logistics model for on-demand hyperlocal markets; and Rejeb et al. (2023) review drones for supply chain management and logistics and propose a future research agenda. 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 (Murray and Chu, 2015; Agatz et al., 2018; Moshref-Javadi and Winkenbach, 2021). How do logistics firms decide whether, when and how to adopt low-altitude logistics, given the organizational, regulatory and privacy barriers identified in drone logistics research (Sah et al., 2021; Leon et al., 2023)? How should low-altitude logistics be integrated with warehouses, fulfillment centers, ground fleets, urban distribution hubs and airport logistics systems, when truck-drone coordination and drone routing studies have shown both the promise and complexity of hybrid logistics networks (Murray and Chu, 2015; Agatz et al., 2018)? 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 (Al Haddad et al., 2020; Leon et al., 2023)? How can firms develop viable business models when low-altitude logistics requires new infrastructure, digital coordination, service guarantees and multi-stakeholder governance (Garrow et al., 2021; Rejeb et al., 2023)? 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 (Goodchild and Toy, 2018; Stolaroff et al., 2018; Rabta et al., 2018)? These questions reveal a pressing need for empirical research that connects technological experimentation with logistics and supply chain theory.

This Special Issue therefore 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.

This special issue invites research on following themes, but not limited to:

• 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

Guest editors’ biography:

Weihua Liu is a Chair Professor and head of Department of Operation and Supply Chain Management, College of Management and Economics, Tianjin University, China. He specializes in logistics management and has published more than 130 SCI/SSCI indexed papers on journals like Productions and Operations Management, Naval Logistics Research, European Journal of Operational Research, International Journal of Operations and Production Management, Journal of Business logistics, International Journal of Production Economics, Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Transportation Research Part E, etc. He is also the vice president of the China Society of Logistics. He is in the list of World's Top 2% Scientists Rankings 2023-2025. He was also included in the list of China's Highly Cited Researchers by Elsevier.

Lei Xu is a full professor, doctoral supervisor, and Dean of the Economics and Management College at Civil Aviation University of China. His research interests include aviation operations and sustainable supply chain management. He has led several national and international research projects and published more than 60 papers in top journals, including over ten ESI highly cited papers. He was listed among the World’s Top 2% Scientists and recognized as one of Elsevier’s Highly Cited Chinese Researchers annually from 2020 to 2025. He also serves on the editorial boards of several international journals.

Kannan Govindan is Director of the Center for Sustainable Operations and Supply Chain Resilience at the University of Adelaide. His research focuses on sustainable supply chain management, reverse logistics, digital supply chains, and resilient logistics systems. He has published more than 475 articles in leading journals, including Nature, EJOR, Omega, DSJ, IJPE, IJPR, TRE, and TRD, with over 66,000 citations and an h-index above 130. He has been recognized as a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher in Engineering for seven consecutive years. He serves as Executive Editor of JCLP and Associate Editor of TRE.

Dr. Yang Cheng is an Associate Professor at Department of Materials and Production, Aalborg University, Denmark and a visiting professor at Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics, China and Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. He has extensive research experience in the management of operations, supply chain, and technology. In these fields, he has published more than 80 articles in academic journals. Dr. Cheng is the Associate Editor for Production Planning and Control, Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, Journal of Digital Economy, and Supply Chain Analytics, and the managing editor for Cleaner Engineering and Technology.

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