Competition tests aerial deliveries by drone

The finals of a competition for the first civil unmanned aerial tests in the country concluded on Tuesday in the Liangping district of Chongqing.

The competition, called "Fly-Over China", is designed to test the use of low-altitude drones in commerce, including product deliveries. Registration kicked off on Sept 1, with preliminary rounds of the competition held in Suzhou, Jiangsu province; Shenzhen Guangdong province; and in Beijing.

Chongqing's Liangping district stands out as the only district in the municipality to be selected as one of China's first civil unmanned aerial test areas. Liangping Airport, China's highest general public airport, offers nearly 8,000 square kilometers of accessible airspace, making it ideal for both short- and long-range flights. With more than 300 flyable days annually, the airport provides excellent conditions for real-world aviation competitions, authorities said.

Established in 1928, the airport has a rich history as a training base for military pilots after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Yang Liwei, China's first man in space, trained there for four years starting in 1992.

Last year, Liangping's low-altitude economy saw notable growth, with three investment projects signed totaling 5.16 billion yuan ($773.9 million). The district recorded more than 96,000 flight hours and 270,000 flight operations, underscoring Liangping's rapid progress in the low-altitude economy sector.

With ambitions to become the center of the low-altitude economy in western China, Liangping is striving to foster a 30-billion-yuan economic cluster. The district is advancing critical technologies like complete drone manufacturing and aviation power, facilitating the local assembly of large fixed-wing "Rainbow series" drones and the development and manufacturing of ton-class unmanned transport aircraft, local authorities said.

The district also offers a wealth of low-altitude application testing scenarios, supporting real-world testing across multiple sectors. The establishment of a branch of a professional low-altitude economy research institute locally has further strengthened the district's position, creating a mature think tank and industry collaboration platform, they said.