Classified Regulation of UAVs: International Experience and China's Approach

The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) industry is becoming a new growth point of the aviation industry. In order to balance effectively the relationship between its industrial development and risk prevention and control, many regulatory bodies have adopted the classified approach to the regulation of UAVs. But China's classified regulatory framework and it specific rules still need to be improved. The systems of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the EU and the US can provide useful reference for China. In the future, China can learn from the EU's classification framework of "open category, specific category, certified category" to improve the classification system and formulate the rules based on China's current situation. For the open category, China can adopt the principle of removing airspace access threshold, and prevent risks with the help of market and technical means. In terms of the specific category, China should focus on simplifying procedures, and set up diversified regulatory bodies and resources, thus meeting the needs of differentiated risk management. Concerning the certified category, China can refer to the airspace access and operation rules of traditional public transport aviation and general aviation, and make modifications when necessary.