Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) reports 50,000 new additions in the first quarter of 2019.
China's registered drones surge to 339,000 and are expected to surpass 400,000 by the end of the year if momentum is continued.
Data from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) shows that 50,000 new drones got registered in the first quarter of 2019, reported Shanghai Security News on August 1.
There are nearly 1,300,000 registered drones in the United States, almost four times the amount of China.
Civil drones are for commercial use or consumer use. The consumer market is mainly stimulated by high-quality aerial photography. For commercial use, drones enable infrastructure development in construction sites, helps agriculture sector in crop maintenance, improves energy and utility sectors in professional inspection and security, and most importantly in China, the logistics sector in delivering over complex terrains.
In March 2018, China issued the first license for drone delivery to Yufeng Shuntu (羽丰顺途) Technology, a subsidiary of SF Express, the nation's largest listed courier provider by market value. By 2018, SF Express and JD Logistics have sent more than 40,000 flights for 246,000 parcels spanning more than 400,000 kilometers in drone testing areas.
Last week, CAAC grants its southwestern administration to expand logistics and shipping services of drones by Yufeng Shuntu from certain areas in Jiangxin province to Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, and to help with poverty reduction.
Having the highest Mount Everest, China has large areas of mountainous land, consisting about two-thirds of the country. Especially, the southern areas consist of hilly and mountainous terrain. In this case, UAV is crucial to solving "The Last Mile Problem" of delivery due to its flexibility.
There are over 360 drone companies in Shenzhen by 2018, with annual transaction volume upward of CNY 40 billion, reported Shanghai Security News citing military industry research team from China Securities Co.
According to CACC report, Guangdong-based drone companies DJI and EHang take the leading positions in the global UAV market, driving the development of over 1,300 Chinese drone companies.