Volume 2,Issue 2
Liability Boundaries among Multiple Parties in Commercial Drone Operations: Delivery, Inspection, and Passenger Transport Scenarios
Commercial drone operations in China have expanded rapidly since the low-altitude economy became a strategic emerging industry in 2024. Meituan and SF Express run tens of thousands of delivery flights daily in Shenzhen. EHang received the first passenger eVTOL type certificate from the CAAC in October 2023. The liability rules that courts will need when incidents occur lag behind this operational reality. We ask how operator, platform, and manufacturer liability should vary across delivery, inspection, and passenger transport scenarios under current Chinese law. Drawing on Article 1165, Articles 1202–1207, and Article 1238 of the Civil Code, we construct a three-by-three scenario-based liability matrix. Our main finding: liability migrates systematically as operational risk increases. The operator carries the primary burden in delivery, parties split liability in inspection under a mixed-fault model, and the operator and manufacturer share strict liability in passenger transport. We recommend scenario-specific provisions under CCAR-92.
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