The Civil Aviation Administration announced on the 16th that it has preliminarily completed the development of the civil drone registration system, which will go live on the 18th. Starting June 1, registration will be implemented for drones weighing over 250 grams. At the same time, a data sharing and query system for drone registration is being established to achieve real-time interconnection with the drone operation cloud platform.
Recently, incidents of drones interfering with civil aviation flights have occurred frequently, affecting multiple airports across the country and sparking heated discussions among netizens. Some netizens believe that the current phenomenon of “black flights” (unauthorized drone flights) poses a significant threat to aviation safety and public safety, calling for relevant departments to strengthen management of drones and thoroughly investigate the causes behind these series of “black flight” incidents.
Preventing “Black Flights” is Challenging
On May 1, an illegal drone flight incident occurred at Kunming Changshui International Airport, disrupting normal flight operations. A total of 32 flights were affected, with 28 returning and 4 diverting. According to statistics from the airport authorities, there have been no less than 6 illegal drone flight incidents in the airspace protection zone of Changshui International Airport since February 2 of this year.
Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport has also become a hotspot for “black flights”. Since April of this year, there have been 5 incidents of drones interfering with civil aviation flights, resulting in over 100 flights being diverted or returned.
“Black flights” refer to unauthorized flights. In China, any flight that has not obtained permission from the Civil Aviation Administration is not allowed. Guo Shi, deputy director of the Airport Police Bureau of the Sichuan Provincial Public Security Department, believes that the current rapid development of the civil drone market is hindered by complex approval procedures, insufficient awareness of the dangers, and a lack of legal consciousness, leading to a serious problem of “black flights”.
According to Tang Bo, captain of the Public Security Fire Brigade, the trend of drones interfering with flight operations has intensified this year, causing extremely adverse effects on flight safety and public safety.
It is reported that the Chengdu Public Security Bureau has launched an investigation into an incident of illegal drone flight affecting civil aviation on April 19, suspecting it of endangering public safety in a dangerous manner. The Sichuan Provincial Public Security Department has raised the reward for reporting “black flights” from 1,000 yuan to 10,000 yuan. Currently, the Chengdu police have detained several individuals involved in “black flights”, but have not yet apprehended the perpetrators of recent flight disruptions or identified their identities.
Continuous Disruptions and Regulatory Challenges
During visits to various airports, airport staff generally expressed concerns about the impact of drones on aviation safety. Sun Jiadong, director of the airspace management office at Kunming Changshui International Airport, told reporters that with the current high flight volume and dense flight schedules, if a drone intrudes into an aircraft’s flight path, there is basically no space for the aircraft to evade; if a drone dangerously approaches an aircraft, it could lead to a flight being forced to return or, in severe cases, a serious accident.
China has long had clear legal regulations for the supervision of the drone industry. As early as 2013, the Civil Aviation Administration issued the “Interim Regulations on the Management of Civil Drone Pilot Licenses”, requiring operators of drones that fly beyond visual range (over 500 meters or above 120 meters) or have an empty weight greater than 7 kilograms to hold a “license”. The “Regulations on the Approval and Management of General Aviation Flight Tasks”, which took effect on December 1, 2013, clarified the approval and management of general aviation flight tasks, including drones.
However, many industry insiders believe that, given the current situation, there are multiple challenges in regulating drones and ensuring aviation safety. The primary challenge is the lack of regulation in the purchase and sale of drones, with many buyers lacking flight experience and qualifications, and some even using drones for illegal activities.
Currently, there are also businesses online offering drone modifications, which can include the installation of potentially dangerous equipment, such as “rocket” launch devices. Experts point out that the easy accessibility of drones makes it difficult to gather evidence and trace individuals after disruption incidents.
Sun Jiadong noted that all five drone disruption incidents discovered at Changshui Airport have been unable to gather evidence for further accountability.
It is reported that DJI, a drone manufacturer, recently announced a reward of up to 1 million yuan for information leading to the resolution of recent incidents affecting civil aviation flights.
Industry insiders also mentioned that the main departments involved in managing airport airspace include the Air Force, Civil Aviation, and Public Security. However, regarding the issue of “black flights”, there are overlaps and limitations in regulatory responsibilities among these departments, and the application process for drone users is relatively complex.
In Chengdu, for example, applying for drone flight permission requires reporting to the Air Force, Civil Aviation, and Public Security departments. After approval, the drone must be reported again before takeoff and after landing. “The application process is quite cumbersome, and very few individuals apply. Generally, only activities like line patrols or sports flights apply,” Guo Shi said.
Drone Regulation is Still in Exploration
Currently, some countries have issued regulations related to drone management. In the United States, the civil drone market started earlier, and the Federal Aviation Administration issued regulations in December 2015 to implement a “real-name system” for small drones. In China, relevant departments are also beginning to try various methods to regulate drones.
It has been found that some domestic airports are equipped with electronic jamming guns for drones, but many issues still exist. Sun Jiadong explained that using electronic jamming guns to interfere with drones may pose secondary risks: first, the drone may fall directly and hit people or objects; second, if it loses control after being jammed, the drone may fly erratically and collide with an aircraft; third, there is no clear protocol for subsequent handling, making it a challenge to address the relationship with the drone owner.
Sun Jiadong believes that in addition to performing their duties in prevention and control, airports still need to rely on relevant government departments to further improve the legal regulations for drone management, while strengthening management across all aspects of drone production, sales, purchase, and use.
Guo Shi stated that domestic airports currently generally lack countermeasures against drone interference, and the production of countermeasure systems lacks industry access standards. He suggested that the government quickly establish a standard system for drone countermeasure systems. He also recommended that the government clarify the civil and administrative responsibilities of all parties involved through special legislation, as well as the enforcement authority of the Civil Aviation Administration regarding drone violations and the basis for public security enforcement.
It is reported that Sichuan is also developing an application to establish a fast application channel to promote the opening of airspace for legitimate drone flights.
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Source: Xinhua News Weibo, Xinhua News “China News”
Reporters: Qi Zhongxi, Wu Guangyu, Ding Yiquan, Chen Yuxiao
Editor: Meng Lingxiu