On April 29, a large unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which was loaded with logistics goods and fresh supplies, departed from Dalian Changhai General-purpose Airport and arrived at Qingdao Laixi Dianbu General-purpose Airport after traveling nearly 400 kilometers in merely two hours and fifteen minutes. As China’s first cross-Bohai sea UAV logistics route has begun operation, travel time between the two provinces will be substantially shortened. This marks an important breakthrough China has made in promoting innovation-driven development of low-altitude equipment industry.

Among the existing transportation means in the Bohai Sea region, travel times by railway or highway between cities in Liaoning Province and Shandong Province are generally longer than eight hours, and sea transportation usually consumes five to ten hours. By contrast, direct low-altitude cross-sea transportation can shorten travel time to around two hours, improving the efficiency of transportation by nearly six times. This move can ensure timeliness in regional logistics, and help build the “two-hour industrial circle along the Bohai Sea”. This low-altitude route is primarily used by enterprises such as China Post to transport a wide range of goods from general merchandise, business documents, high-priced drugs to emergency supplies.

 (Li Deyin)

China’s first cross-Bohai Sea UAV logistics route has opened to traffic, enabling a five-ton UAV to begin commercial operations on a regular basis.