順豐獲頒中國首張無人機空域許可證

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

據官方媒體上週五報道，順豐速運(SF Express)拿到了中國首張無人機空域許可證，隨後完成了多次商業化無人機送貨。

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，多家中國物流和高科技企業已宣佈了此類送貨服務，但之後卻並沒有出現什麼商業化應用。一些跡象顯示，順豐這項服務的推出與前述企業不同。

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 sector because of China’s strict controls on airspace.

上海大學(Shanghai University)現代物流學教授儲雪儉表示，對於萌芽狀態的無人機送貨行業來說，順豐獲頒無人機許可證是一項“重大”舉措，因爲中國對空域管得很嚴。

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

分析師表示，順豐獲頒許可證表明，國家監管機構如今有更大的意願向無人機送貨企業開放空域。

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

市場研究公司艾媒諮詢(iMedia Research)創始人張毅表示：“無人機物流面臨的最大問題就是空域管制。”

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

消息傳來後，順豐的股價在上週五攀升了5%，市值增加了16億美元。

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.

順豐是中國最大的物流服務企業之一。該公司在江西省贛州市南康區運營着一個包括多款無人機的機羣，其中一些機型最多可攜帶25公斤貨物，航程最高可達100公里。

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

無人機送貨正開始在全球銷售額最高的中國電子商務市場發力。

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.

順豐今年3月完成了借殼上市，其創始人一躍成爲中國第三大富豪，該公司也成爲深圳證交所市值最高的企業。深交所主要吸引中國內地高科技企業上市。

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

中國擁有深圳大疆(DJI)和廣州億航(Ehang)等全球頂尖的無人機公司。

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

中國民用航空局一位代表表示，監管機構正在想辦法支持無人機行業的發展。

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

過去一年，即將成爲中國第三大高科技企業的網上電商集團京東()，也開展過用無人機爲客戶送貨的試驗。

“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)駐上海的中國物流業主管John Song表示：“京東和順豐處於中國無人機送貨的前沿。”他還表示：“一旦相關監管條例安排妥當，無人機可在城市中提供更好的服務。”

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.

京東表示，該公司在北京市部分偏遠地區以及四川、江蘇和陝西運營着約60條無人機送貨路線。

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.

儘管京東表示它沒有空域許可證，但該公司已與數個地方政府簽署了多項協議，並打算在陝西省打造中國最大的低空無人機物流網。

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.

京東使用的無人機機型與順豐的類似，不過，京東還想使用高負載無人機，以便將約一噸重的農產品從偏遠的農地送至城市。