Hangzhou selected as pilot zone for unmanned aviation

Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, is the only city in Zhejiang to be included in the first group of 13 pilot zones for civil-use unmanned aviation designated by the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

The zone will pilot the use of drones in logistics, emergency medical supply distribution, Hangzhou Asian Games and emergency security.

Officials said that Hangzhou will take advantage of its developed digital technology system to explore more commercial applications for drones.

According to local authorities, the pilot zone covers an area of 925 square kilometers. Hangzhou's Yuhang district will spearhead efforts by testing out unmanned aviation in its Future Sci-Tech City.

Moving forward, the district will then help other districts and areas in Hangzhou to conduct similar unmanned aviation experiments.

Hangzhou plans to establish a comprehensive and advanced unmanned aviation management system and a 5G-powered positioning system with the support of China's independently-developed Beidou Navigation Satellite System by 2022.