A drone takes off from the public drone hub at Dream Town in Yuhang district, Hangzhou on Nov 11. [Photo/tidenews.com.cn]

A fully loaded Ark-40 drone carrying 10 kilograms of cargo lifted off from the public drone hub at Dream Town in Hangzhou's Yuhang district on Nov 11, en route to the Xihu Science Park. The drone's departure marked the launch of multiple drone logistics routes across the city, including Hangzhou's first cross-Qiantang River drone delivery route. 

The new cross-river route connects the SF Express sorting center in Shangcheng district with the smart city parking facility in Qianjiang Century City in Xiaoshan district. Spanning 7.5 kilometers and with a flight time of just 11 minutes, the route primarily handles urgent and same-day deliveries. 

The success of these routes is supported by Hangzhou's new public drone hubs, providing services such as drone takeoff and landing, battery charging, equipment storage, and cargo handling.

The deployment of public drone hubs and new routes is part of Hangzhou's broader strategy to establish a comprehensive service network. This multi-faceted approach creates a scalable, efficient, and collaborative model for low-altitude logistics, solidifying Hangzhou as a pioneer in drone-based urban delivery. 

Hangzhou launches several drone delivery routes on Nov 11. [Photo/tidenews.com.cn]