China’s first cross-Bohai drone logistics route officially opens, covering 340 kilometers in just 2 hours

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Apr 30, 2026 12:46 PM

China’s first cross-Bohai drone logistics route, linking Dalian in Northeast China’s Liaoning Province and Qingdao in East China’s Shandong Province, commenced operations on April 29, significantly cutting transit times. Officials from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology called it a key milestone in advancing low-altitude equipment innovation through practical applications, China Media Group (CMG) reported on Thursday.

The low-altitude drone logistics route between Dalian and Qingdao uses a large fixed-wing drone with a maximum takeoff weight of 5.25 tons, covering a one-way distance of 340 kilometers in about two hours. Upon arriving at Laixi Airport in Qingdao, officials said the successful inaugural flight is expected to further boost the local low-altitude drone industry, CMG reported.

Zhang Peipei, an official with Qingdao Laixi’s low-altitude economy task force, said the city is speeding up construction of an aerospace equipment industrial park to support low-altitude logistics. The plan includes expanding airport fueling facilities to cover all aviation fuel types, enhancing investment promotion and enterprise services, and strengthening overall operational support for the logistics routes, per the report. In the existing transportation network across the Bohai region, travel times between cities in Liaoning and Shandong provinces typically exceed eight hours by rail or road, and five to 10 hours by sea. In contrast, low-altitude cross-sea drone transport is more flexible, efficient, and cost-effective.

Liu Fawang, deputy director of the equipment industry development center at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said that cross-Bohai low-altitude logistics represents a major breakthrough in applying low-altitude equipment in complex maritime environments. “It injects new momentum into the development of the Bohai Economic Rim, opens an ‘air corridor’ across the Bohai Strait, fills the gap in cross-sea low-altitude logistics, and enhances the integrated multi-modal transportation system of the Bohai region,” he said, according to CMG.

This low-altitude route is primarily used by China Post and other companies for aerial logistics, handling a variety of items including daily goods, business documents, high-value pharmaceuticals, and emergency supplies,CMG reported.

Experts noted that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), China’s low-altitude equipment offerings have become increasingly diverse. Development of traditional general aviation equipment has progressed steadily, while new low-altitude technologies have advanced rapidly. So far, over 70 domestically produced systems have obtained airworthiness certification, including 17 civil drones and two electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Looking ahead, China plans to further leverage application scenarios to foster a select group of high-quality use cases, driving equipment upgrades and strengthening fundamental capabilities, while maintaining safety.