China puts drone rules into law as low-altitude economy takes off

Beijing adopted sweeping revisions to its decades-old Civil Aviation Law on Saturday, formally bringing uncrewed aircraft such as drones under the national legal framework for the first time and signaling state support for the country’s rapidly growing low-altitude economy.

The revisions, which will come into effect on July 1, were approved by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee and are a critical step in closing long-standing gaps in safety regulation. They will also guide economic development in China’s burgeoning drone industry.

According to state news agency Xinhua, the revised law expands the 1995 legislation to 16 chapters and 262 articles, targeting drones explicitly for the first time.

It has a new dedicated chapter on civilian uncrewed aircraft, requiring all entities involved in the design, production, import, maintenance and flight operations of drones to obtain airworthiness certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) unless specifically exempted.

It also requires manufacturers to assign unique identification codes to each drone to improve traceability, in line with national regulations.

  

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