Politics
Beijing will prohibit drone ownership and storage beginning Nov. 15
Beijing is moving from regulating drone flights to banning residents and businesses from possessing or storing drones and key components within the city. Officials say owners can receive subsidies to sell, recycle or move their devices before the new rules take effect.
BEIJING — Beijing authorities will prohibit the possession and storage of drones and key drone components within the city starting Nov. 15, extending a series of security restrictions that have already barred unauthorized flights and drone sales.
The revised rules, released Sunday, allow authorities to confiscate drones from people or companies that do not comply and impose fines. The regulations apply across Beijing’s administrative area, which has been designated restricted airspace.
Officials will offer subsidies to existing owners who turn in their drones at designated buyback locations, according to state media. Owners may also receive smaller subsidies for scrapping and recycling the devices or may ship them outside Beijing before the deadline.
The city banned drone sales under rules that took effect May 1. Those rules required existing owners to register their devices under their real names and provide identity information, while allowing registered owners to retain the drones under strict conditions. The new regulations eliminate that option by banning possession itself.
The expanded restrictions follow a fatal accident in late June, when a small aircraft crashed into a Beijing skyscraper. The pilot died and 13 other people were injured. Authorities have cited security concerns as they have tightened controls on unmanned aircraft.
Bringing drones into Beijing from outside the city, including by tourists, was already prohibited. Drone users may continue to fly outdoors in other parts of China, where real-name registration is required, but the capital frequently imposes tougher security measures than other areas.
For Beijing residents, the policy sets a firm deadline to surrender, recycle or relocate equipment that previously could be kept if registered. It also places the cost and logistical burden of compliance on owners, while offering subsidies intended to encourage the devices’ removal before enforcement begins.