Shanghai Post opened a drone delivery route between Changxing Island and Hengsha Island, at the mouth of the Yangtze River, on November 12, 2026. It is the postal operator's first low-altitude logistics route in Shanghai and is being run as a pilot. During the trial period the service uses hydrogen-powered drones, which local officials say produce no carbon emissions in flight, with water as the only by-product.
The route is 5.8 km long and a one-way flight takes about 12 minutes. Mail is taken from the town delivery depot to the drone take-off point and flown straight to drop-off points on Hengsha. Shanghai Post says this saves nearly two hours compared with moving the same items by road and ferry; the district news office put the saving at about an hour and a half. The first flight carried newspapers, mail and fresh fruit.
Hengsha is the only island in Shanghai with no bridge or tunnel to the mainland. According to the Chongming district news office, it has about 30,000 residents and handles more than 3,000 parcels a day, and until now almost everything has depended on a ferry that runs every half hour, takes close to an hour each way and can be stopped by strong wind or fog. Officials describe the drone route as a supplement to the ferry, not a replacement.
The service is meant to work in both directions. Outbound flights bring newspapers and everyday parcels to the island, and return flights carry local produce such as figs off the island for sale. At the launch, the Hengsha township government and China Post's Chongming branch signed an agreement on using low-altitude logistics to support local farming. Shanghai Post plans to move the route toward regular, standardised operations, add aircraft and flights, and take on medicines and fresh food. A second route of about 30 km, carrying medical supplies from a mail processing centre in Pudong to Hengsha, is also planned. The drone model and its manufacturer were not named.
What this means for buyers: Short over-water hops of 5 to 30 km are where cargo drones most clearly beat ferries and boats, and Chinese postal operators are now running such routes as everyday services rather than one-off demonstrations. Island, river-delta and coastal operators should settle payload, endurance in wind, hydrogen or battery logistics and local airspace approval before choosing an aircraft. If you are looking for logistics drones, hydrogen fuel-cell or battery-powered platforms, or loading and landing equipment from Chinese manufacturers, our team can help you shortlist suppliers and arrange samples.