CHINA'S DRONE INDUSTRY SOARS IN H1

BEIJING, July 10 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- China's drone industry has seen explosive growth, with nearly 608,000 new unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) registered in the first half of 2024, marking a 48 per cent increase from the end of 2023, reported Xinhua.

Song Zhiyong, head of the Civil Aviation Administration, announced these figures at a press conference, noting that cumulative UAV flight time reached nearly 9.82 million hours in the first half, up by 134,000 hours compared to the previous year.

"The data indicate that China's low-altitude economy is entering a stage of rapid development," Song said.

The administration will further optimise the technical standards in the UAV sector, and guide local authorities in improving infrastructure planning and construction for UAV usage, according to Song.

Efforts will also be made to enhance the communication, navigation, and surveillance capabilities of the low-altitude UAVs, and establish safety operation rules and regulatory policies for different flight activities, he said.

The burgeoning low-altitude economy, propelled by technological innovation, is experiencing rapid growth in China. A report by a research institute under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China showed that the sector's value reached 505.95 billion yuan (about US$70.92 billion) in 2023, and is projected to surpass one trillion yuan by 2026.  

--BERNAMA-XINHUA