SF Express has completed commercial drone deliveries after receiving China’s first drone airspace licence, state media reported on Friday.

据官方媒体上周五报道，顺丰速运(SF Express)拿到了中国首张无人机空域许可证，随后完成了多次商业化无人机送货。

China’s logistics and technology companies have announced such delivery services before but little commercial use has followed. However, there are some signs that the SF Express launch was different.

此前，多家中国物流和高科技企业已宣布了此类送货服务，但之后却并没有出现什么商业化应用。一些迹象显示，顺丰这项服务的推出与前述企业不同。

Chu Xuejian, professor of modern logistics at Shanghai University, called the granting of a drone licence to SF Express a “significant” move for the budding drone delivery sector¹ because of China’s strict controls on airspace.

上海大学(Shanghai University)现代物流学教授储雪俭表示，对于萌芽状态的无人机送货行业来说，顺丰获颁无人机许可证是一项“重大”举措，因为中国对空域管得很严。

The granting of the licence indicates that national regulators are now more willing to open airspace to drone delivery companies, say analysts².

分析师表示，顺丰获颁许可证表明，国家监管机构如今有更大的意愿向无人机送货企业开放空域。

“The biggest issue for drone logistics is airspace control,” said Zhang Yi, founder³ of iMedia Research, a market research firm.

市场研究公司艾媒咨询(iMedia Research)创始人张毅表示：“无人机物流面临的最大问题就是空域管制。”

The company’s share price climbed 5 per cent on the news, adding $1.6bn to its equity⁴ value.

消息传来后，顺丰的股价在上周五攀升了5%，市值增加了16亿美元。

SF Express, one of China’s biggest logistics services, flew a fleet of drone models, some of which can carry up to 25kg and have a range of up to 100km, in the southern area of Ganzhou in Jiangxi province.

顺丰是中国最大的物流服务企业之一。该公司在江西省赣州市南康区运营着一个包括多款无人机的机群，其中一些机型最多可携带25公斤货物，航程最高可达100公里。

Drone deliveries are taking off in China’s ecommerce market, the world’s largest by sales.

无人机送货正开始在全球销售额最高的中国电子商务市场发力。

SF Express completed a backdoor stock market listing in March, which made its founder China’s third-richest man and bagged the company the position of most valuable company on the Shenzhen exchange, which attracts mainland China’s technology IPOs.

顺丰今年3月完成了借壳上市，其创始人一跃成为中国第三大富豪，该公司也成为深圳证交所市值最高的企业。深交所主要吸引中国内地高科技企业上市。

China is home to the world’s leading drone companies, such as Shenzhen-based DJI and Beijing’s Ehang.

中国拥有深圳大疆(DJI)和广州亿航(Ehang)等全球顶尖的无人机公司。

A representative of the Civil Aviation Administration of China said that the regulators are thinking of ways to support development of the drone industry.

中国民用航空局一位代表表示，监管机构正在想办法支持无人机行业的发展。

Online ecommerce group JD.com, which is on the brink⁵ of becoming the third-biggest technology group in China, has also trialled customer deliveries over the past year.

过去一年，即将成为中国第三大高科技企业的网上电商集团京东(JD.com)，也开展过用无人机为客户送货的试验。

“JD and SF Express are at the forefront of drone deliveries in China,” said John Song, China logistics sector lead at Monitor Deloitte Consulting in Shanghai. “Drones could deliver better service in cities, once the regulations are sorted out,” Mr Song added.

德勤摩立特(Monitor Deloitte)驻上海的中国物流业主管John Song表示：“京东和顺丰处于中国无人机送货的前沿。”他还表示：“一旦相关监管条例安排妥当，无人机可在城市中提供更好的服务。”

JD says it operates about 60 drone routes in remote parts of Beijing’s municipality as well as the provinces of Sichuan, Jiangsu and Shaanxi, all of which have mountainous and remote areas.

京东表示，该公司在北京市部分偏远地区以及四川、江苏和陕西运营着约60条无人机送货路线。

Although JD says it has no airspace licence, the company has individual agreements with local governments and aims to build China’s largest low-altitude drone logistics network in Shaanxi province.

尽管京东表示它没有空域许可证，但该公司已与数个地方政府签署了多项协议，并打算在陕西省打造中国最大的低空无人机物流网。

JD’s fleet has similar drone models to SF Express, but it also wants to use heavy-load drones to carry agricultural produce weighing around a tonne from remote farms to cities.

京东使用的无人机机型与顺丰的类似，不过，京东还想使用高负载无人机，以便将约一吨重的农产品从偏远的农地送至城市。