Beijing to Ban Drone Ownership and Flights From November

Beijing will prohibit most people and organisations from flying, possessing or storing drones and key components across the city from 15 November, under revised rules that designate the entire municipality as controlled airspace. The measures also restrict drones being transported into the capital and give existing owners a short window to sell, scrap or move their aircraft elsewhere, marking one of China’s strictest urban drone regimes ahead of tighter enforcement.

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The revised municipal rules cover the entire administrative area of Beijing. They prohibit unauthorised flights as well as the possession and storage of civilian drones and important parts, with limited exceptions for approved public-service, emergency and other specialised uses.

Owners must dispose of or relocate existing equipment before the new rules take effect. Beijing’s official notice lists four routes: sell a drone through the government-authorised buyback programme, have it scrapped, send it outside the city using a free postal service, or personally carry it beyond Beijing.

The buyback scheme offers a subsidy equal to 30% of the assessed value, capped at RMB3,000, for disposals completed from 12 September to 31 October. The rate falls to 15%, capped at RMB1,500, from 1 to 14 November. Scrapping attracts RMB200 initially, then RMB100 during the later period.

SCMP reported that the overhaul follows a fatal June incident in which a small aircraft struck Beijing’s CITIC Tower. Once enforcement begins, authorities plan patrols and inspections, with penalties for breaches.

For consumers and commercial operators, the practical message is unusually clear: ordinary drone ownership in the capital will no longer be treated separately from flying. Anyone holding equipment in Beijing must act before 15 November or risk falling foul of the new regime.

Source: SCMP