China to Introduce Real-Name Drone Registration

The head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has said that the government will introduce new rules to regulate China’s drone industry as unregulated flights have been causing problems.

The CAAC will introduce a real-name system to regulate the operation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to counter threats to the country’s air safety, Feng Zhenglin, head of the CAAC, was quoted as saying by The Beijing News on Sunday.

“Our priority is to have UAVs registered with the owners’ real name and to supervise operators,” Feng said.

The CAAC will build electric fences around airports to keep drones away from airplanes, according to Feng.

Statistics from market research firm IDC showed that over 80,000 UAVs were sold in China in the first quarter of 2016.

However, the industry has brought hazards due to a lack of clear rules.

In January, an amateur aviation enthusiast in Xiaoshan, East China’s Zhejiang Province, was detained by local police after using a drone to record footage of a landing aircraft.

Footage which shows the UAV flying near a passenger plane sparked public condemnation, with many arguing that the lax supervision of UAVs could jeopardize civil and military aviation.

Under the current circumstances, said Li Shengrui, deputy to the National People’s Congress, private UAVs, which are outside the scope of current CAAC regulations, are not effectively supervised.

At the ongoing annual national legislative session, Li proposed the deployment of anti-UAV systems around sensitive areas such as airports or government offices.

Source: Global Times