The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on Friday issued the first batch of certificates for autonomous passenger drone operation to two Chinese companies, marking China's entry into the commercial operation stage of autonomous passenger drones.
The two certificates were granted to Chinese drone makers EHang Holdings Limited in south China's Guangdong Province and Hefei Hey Airlines Co., Ltd. in east China's Anhui Province.
The operation certificate is used to confirm that the autonomous passenger drone service meets the safety operation standards and operation requirements. The companies with an operation certificate can carry out commercial operations in approved areas, provide paid passenger services and other low-altitude economy-related services.
With the operation certificate, consumers will be able to purchase tickets at operating spots in Guangzhou and Hefei to experience low-altitude tours, city sightseeing and a variety of commercial passenger transport services.
China issues first batch of passenger drone operation certificates
Northern China has launched full-scale clearing efforts to ensure smooth and safe traffic after multiple regions experienced the first snowfalls of the winter season.
In Inner Mongolia, snowfall began on Thursday night and continued through Friday morning in the northern and western parts of the autonomous region. Ordos City in the west experienced mild to moderate snow in most areas, with the northern part receiving the most snowfall of over five millimeters.
"The snow removal team has been working around the clock to clear snow and reduce slip hazards on sections prone to icing, including bridges, slopes, and curves. This aims to minimize the impacts of snowfall on road traffic," said Liu Feng, chief of a local highway maintenance station.
Snowfall in Jinan, capital of north China's Shandong Province, has been strengthening since 14:00 on Friday, with the local weather service upgrading the snowstorm warning signal from blue to yellow at 19:20 on the day.
Local authorities prepared over 1,670 snow removal machines for operation and immediately started clearing work as precipitation began.
Meanwhile, in north-central China's Gansu, temperatures in the rural Jishishan County dropped about 10 degrees Celsius as the rest of the province was largely affected by Friday's snowfall.
Gansu is a crucial passageway for traffic between China's eastern and western regions, so local authorities acted quickly to ensure highway safety.
"We applied deicing agents on sharp curves, steep slopes, and bridges, and increased patrols on roads in case any emergency situations may come up," said Che Yifan, deputy chief of a local highway maintenance station.
Snow also covered the Chinese capital Beijing on Friday, prompting emergency responses from local transportation authorities, with over 4,000 personnel and more than 2,600 pieces of machinery being dispatched to carry out the clearing effort.
Prompt clearing efforts begin amid season's first snowfall in northern China
