机场净空保护区(jīchǎng jìngkōng bǎohù qū): Airport Runway Protection Zones

Flying drones has become an increasingly popular pastime. However, some users fly their unmanned aerial vehicles too near to airports, threatening flight safety.

Tests show that if a bird weighing 1.8 kilograms hits a plane flying at 960 km per hour, the damage will be more severe than an artillery shell hitting a ground target. Unmanned aerial vehicles can be as heavy as 100 kilos and they are much tougher than a bird, which means if they hit a plane it could be disastrous.

In the first two months of the year, there have been reports of at least 10 cases of an unmanned aerial vehicle threatening flight safety.

On Feb 17, Beijing Capital International Airport announced the map of its Runway Protection Zone, and reminded people not to fly drones in it. According to the law, an airport's protection zone extends 20 kilometers from both ends of its runways, and 10 kms out from the sides.

Beijing Capital International Airport has three runways, and its three protection zones together constitute approximately a rectangle covering 1,058 square kilometers.

Those who fly an unmanned aerial vehicle into an airport's protection zone not only face paying a fine of tens of thousands of yuan, they may also be detained between 10 to 15 days.

If the incident is serious, the person piloting the drone may even be punished under the criminal law.