China Now Requiring Real-Name Registration for Drones

By Francesca Wright, June 1, 2017

Starting from today, June 1, China will begin requiring real-name registration for drones.

The new regulations, which were first rumored earlier this year, require owners of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to register their flying gadgets with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). The new real-name registration process will now be required for UAVs weighing over 250 grams.

Following a preliminary registration program that was first launched on May 18, owners of drones over 250g will now be required to register their flying gadgets through an online system.

Also in the works are data-sharing platforms and mechanisms to verify registrations that will be connected to the apps that control drones.

Drone usage is on the rise in China. Statistics from market research firm IDC show that over 80,000 drones were sold in the first quarter of 2016. But the problem is not with the volume of people buying the drones, but with the lack of registration tied to them.

Drones in China

There are few laws restricting the use of UAVs in China. In three recent guidelines, China prohibited UAVs from flying in designated zones, including near densely populated cities, military bases and airports, and has stated that drone pilots must receive training before sending their instruments-for-gaining-more-Instagram-and-Weibo-followers into the sky. There are also rules that forbid drunken drone flying.

Several airports in China have experienced serious disruptions recently due to the lack of drone regulations. Back in April, over 10,000 travelers were stranded at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in Sichuan after four drones were caught flying illegally over the protected zone of the runway — including one that had passed under an incoming flight. The incident caused 58 flights to land at other airports, four to return to their point of departure and over 10 to be canceled altogether.

And in another separate incident, at least 200 flights were delayed in Chongqing on May 12 due to a drone flying near the airport.

[Images via ProDrone and Daniel Mh Chun]