China restricts low-altitude aviation near Beijing after building strike: analyst
Additional screenings now required for pilots to access parts of the capital, affecting mountain tours and Great Wall flights, industry insider says
The regulatory move affected crewed aircraft near Great Wall tourist sites, aerial tours of Beijing’s suburban mountains, and agricultural-use flights north of the capital, but was expected to have little impact on drones and uncrewed air taxis, which were already banned from much of that space, the analyst said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Because the curbs apply to general aviation – activity below 1,000 metres (3,280 feet) – commercial flights from Beijing’s major airports would be exempt. Instead, the enhanced oversight would mainly cover private recreational flights, some business travel by air and flight instruction – parts of China’s burgeoning low-altitude economy, the source explained.
Aircraft intending to fly below 1,000 metres in central Beijing, anchored by Tiananmen Square, must first undergo a background check with the Ministry of Public Security, according to the analyst.