NPC deputy urges tighter control over drone flights

Si Qifu, a deputy of the National People's Congress (NPC) and a senior military officer of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Jiangsu. [Photo/81.cn]

Amid the growing interest of drones among individual users, Si Qifu, a deputy of the National People's Congress (NPC) and a senior military officer of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Jiangsu, called for people to become aware of the unnoticed dangers that the unmanned flights may cause.

Si made his remark on March 9 in an interview during the ongoing two sessions.

In 2016, flights from Beijing Capital Airport were disturbed with 19 intruders, six of which were drones. Also, in the first two months of 2017, more than 10 drones broke into the fly zones of the Shenzhen Bao'an Airport, Sichuan Mianyang Airport and Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport.

"It's highly hazardous concerning the issues of state security and personal privacy," Si continued.

"The threats are not only posed to civil aviation, as drones can target vehicles on expressways, take illicit photos or launch attacks with poisons or explosives," Si explained.

To tighten control over the use of drones, Si mapped out nine measures, including issuing credentials to producers and sellers involved in unmanned flight businesses, regulating drones for military use and amending the Regulations for General Aviation Flight Control by adding provisions concerning unmanned flights.