A rendering of the civil unmanned aerial vehicle test-flight base. [Photo/Tide News]

Hangzhou Future Sci-Tech City has received Zhejiang's first license for a civil unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) test-flight base, following on-site verification by the Civil Aviation Administration of East China.

Located in Yuhang district, the UAV test-flight base covers 102 mu (6.8 hectares) with a 5,000-square-meter facilities area, which includes a 500-meter fixed-wing runway, eVTOL takeoff and landing zones, and a water landing site.

Its operations are coordinated by the Hangzhou UAV Operations Center at the China Drone Valley, which provides real-time airspace monitoring and will offer one-stop services such as airspace applications and UAV certification.

Designed to support R&D, flight testing, demonstrations and training, the base is already welcomed by local enterprises that need stable test environments with strong safety guarantees.

Future Sci-Tech City is a pioneer in low-altitude economy development, opening China's first urban drone logistics test route in 2018 and becoming the core of the national unmanned aviation pilot zone.

Today, the cluster hosts more than 100 drone and low-altitude innovation companies, forming a full industrial chain from manufacturing and R&D to commercial operations. As the core area of China Drone Valley, the city aims to expand UAV applications in logistics, urban governance and more, driving new growth in the low-altitude economy.

Engineers operate a drone in Hangzhou. [Photo/Tide News]