China's National People's Congress Standing Committee has approved revisions to the Civil Aviation Law, effective July 1. The changes explicitly target drones for the first time, addressing long-standing safety regulation gaps while guiding the growth of the drone industry.
The revised Civil Aviation Law expands the 1995 legislation to 16 chapters and 262 articles, adding a dedicated chapter on civilian uncrewed aircraft. According to state news agency Xinhua, the law requires all entities involved in the design, production, import, maintenance, and flight operations of drones to obtain airworthiness certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), unless specifically exempted.
It also mandates that manufacturers assign unique identification codes to each drone to improve traceability, in line with national regulations. These revisions represent a critical step in closing long-standing gaps in safety regulation for uncrewed civilian aircraft, while guiding economic development in China's burgeoning drone industry.
