A courier delivers a parcel to the drone vertiport. [Photo/Wechat account: hzjt2008]

A drone has taken to the skies over the Qiantang River, making the launch of Hangzhou's first cross-river drone delivery route.

Taking off from a pubic vertiport in Qianjiang Century City in Xiaoshan district, the drone crosses the river and lands at a designated vertiport in Shangcheng district, trimming a roughly 9-kilometer delivery journey down to just 13 minutes.

The new route addresses the growing demand for fast cross-river delivery, particularly for business documents, fresh food and medical supplies. With the Xixing Bridge undergoing reconstruction, ground travel between the two sides of the Qiantang River has become more time-consuming, creating an opportunity for low-altitude delivery to provide a faster alternative.

The route adopts a three-stage courier-drone-courier model. A delivery man first collects a parcel from the sender within a range of 1.5 kilometres and takes it to the nearest vertiport. The drone then handles the cross-river leg, replacing long-distance ground transport. After landing, another courier collects the parcel and completes the final delivery within a 1.5-km radius. The entire process takes about 13 minutes, tripling delivery efficiency compared with conventional ground-based delivery.

Hangzhou has been actively developing its low-altitude logistics network. Since the first low-altitude delivery trail in July 2025, the service has expanded to key areas such as Shangcheng, Gongshu and Yuhang districts, connecting 15 vertiports and landing sites through 24 regular routes. Daily deliveries have risen from 100 initially to about 1,000.

The city now has 14 public vertiports, over 600 landing sites and about 350 operating flight routes. The Hangzhou transportation bureau plans to optimize low-altitude infrastructure and route networks, integrating aerial and ground transportation to develop a smart urban logistics network.

A drone carries a parcel across the Qiantang River. [Photo/Wechat account: hzjt2008]