China's first drone-powered logistics route across the Bohai Sea officially opened on Wednesday, linking northeast China's Dalian City and east China's Qingdao City. The new route is expected to significantly cut delivery time between the two locations.

The launch marks a major step in advancing China's low-altitude industry through real-world applications, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology

The route uses a large fixed-wing unmanned aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight of 5.25 tonnes. Covering a one-way distance of 340 kilometers, each flight takes around two hours.

Zhang Peipei, an official with the low-altitude economy task force in Laixi, Qingdao, said efforts are underway to accelerate construction of an aerospace equipment industrial park to support low-altitude logistics. This includes expanding airport fueling facilities, improving access to aviation fuel services, and strengthening investment promotion and enterprise support to enhance operational capacity.

Currently, rail and road travel between cities in northeast China's Liaoning and east China's Shandong provinces typically takes more than eight hours, while sea transport ranges from five to 10 hours. In comparison, low-altitude cross-sea delivery offers a more flexible, efficient and cost-effective option.

Liu Fawang, deputy director of the Equipment Industry Development Center under the ministry, said the route represents a breakthrough in deploying low-altitude equipment in complex maritime environments. It also helps establish an "aerial corridor" across the Bohai Strait, filling a gap in cross-sea logistics and improving the integrated transport network in the Bohai Rim region.

The route will primarily serve companies such as China Post, transporting a wide range of goods including daily necessities, business documents, high-value pharmaceuticals and emergency supplies.