BEIJING - China's drone industry has experienced rapid development, with a massive surge in the number of newly registered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the first half (H1) of 2024.

Nearly 608,000 UAVs were newly registered in H1, rising 48 percent from the figure registered at the end of 2023, Song Zhiyong, head of the Civil Aviation Administration, told a press conference Wednesday.

The cumulative flight time of UAVs reached nearly 9.82 million hours in H1, an increase of 134,000 hours over the same period last year, Song added.

"The data indicate that China's low-altitude economy is entering a stage of rapid development," Song said.

The administration will further optimize the technical standards in the UAV sector, and guide local authorities in improving infrastructure planning and construction for UAV usage, according to Song.

Efforts will also be made to enhance the communication, navigation and surveillance capabilities of the low-altitude UAVs, and establish safety operation rules and regulatory policies for different flight activities, he said.

The burgeoning low-altitude economy, propelled by technological innovation, is experiencing rapid growth in China. A report by a research institute under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China showed that the sector's value reached 505.95 billion yuan ($70.92 billion) in 2023, and is projected to surpass one trillion yuan by 2026.