Policy to guide

Meanwhile, safety and regulations of drone flights remain public concerns.

Drone users commonly use the term "black flight" when describing an irregular flight. Yet, there seems to be a lack of consensus on how to define a "black flight".

Long Shao, a globe-trotting aerial photographer who has researched flight management policies relating to unmanned aerial vehicles in 109 countries and regions, told an industry website that current domestic rules were a bit vague, and lacked details and operational descriptions.

According to a People's Daily report, there were 13 incidents of drones affecting civil aviation operations in Chengdu, Hangzhou, Dalian, Nanjing and Shanghai in April alone. The incidents had aroused heated online discussion.

Since then, there has been a move toward tighter policies, which has resulted in more contradictions between regulators and the increasing market demand.

Liu Wang, an amateur aerial photographer and postgraduate student at Fudan University, says applications for flight space and the filing of flight plans can be tedious and time-consuming processes.

Chen also mentions a disparity in requirements for flight certificates in different parts of China.