Beijing has banned the possession and use of recreational drones as part of moves to bolster security in the capital after a light plane crashed into the city’s tallest skyscraper in June.
The restrictions – some of the tightest in the world on drones – come after a two-seat light plane flew into the 109-story Citic Tower in June, killing the pilot and injuring 13 others. The incident took place just several kilometres away from the headquarters of the ruling Communist Party and residence of top leaders.
The measures are Beijing’s toughest yet in response to the accident, which caused one of the most serious civil aviation and public security breaches in highly sensitive airspace.
Residents won’t be allowed to possess or store drones or drone parts from Nov 15, the Beijing Daily reported. They will have until Nov 14 to relocate them outside the city, and the government will offer a buyback program, capping purchase subsidies at 3,000 yuan (US$447/RM1,940) per unit.
While several global cities such as Washington and Paris effectively ban recreational drones, Beijing stands out by moving beyond a blanket flight restriction to a prohibition on ordinary residents and visitors possessing or bringing drones into the city at all.
The rules designate all of Beijing as controlled airspace, the newspaper said, covering and prohibiting any recreational flying. Officials will also tighten controls of airspace in and around the capital within a 300km radius (186 miles) of the city.
While commercial flights aren’t impacted, aircraft must have back-up tracking. New rules for aircraft using Beijing’s airspace include maintaining two-way contact with air traffic controllers at all times, according to an official aviation safety advisory published on Sept 13.
The pilot in the Citic incident deliberately crashed after deviating from his flight plan, and likely ignored contact with air traffic controllers. The plane nearly collided with a commercial jet in the process. – Bloomberg
