China will require civilian drones weighing more than 250 grams to be registered under real names starting from June 1 to improve civil aviation safety, the country's civil aviation regulator announced Tuesday.

China now has direct flights to 43 Belt and Road countries as domestic airlines have opened new routes to those countries, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said Tuesday.

Claimed to be the world's largest seaplane, China's AG600 amphibian carried out its first high speed taxi test at Avic's facility in Zhuhai on April 29. The taxi run validated the aircraft's steering, trimming and braking capability as it made a 180 degrees turn after a straight run.

Taipei-based China Airlines launched its first Airbus A350 XWB route to the U.S. May 14, from Taipei Taoyuan International Airport to San Francisco, California. The 2X-weekly service will be increased to 4X-weekly from June 28, supplementing the existing daily Taipei-San Francisco flights to 11X-weekly services.

HNA Group -- the parent company of China's biggest private commercial airline, Hainan Airlines -- will open more international routes to serve the country's Belt and Road Initiative, according to Gao Jian, chief operating officer of HNA.

Chengdu, a megacity in western China, has committed to expanding its railway and flight transport services to better support the Belt and Road Initiative.

Low-cost carrier Lucky Air, a Kunming-based subsidiary of HNA Group, announced it will launch Kunming-Moscow services from June 12.

AirAsia Bhd signed a joint venture agreement with China on Sunday to establish a low cost carrier (LCC), with a base in the east-central city of Zhengzhou.

China's first joint-venture civil aviation test lab has been launched in Shanghai University to test plane-making materials, officials said yesterday.

The construction of a Boeing completion and delivery center got underway in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, on Thursday.