BEIJING -- Chinese lawmakers on Monday started deliberating a draft revision to the civil aviation law, amid efforts to safeguard territorial airspace sovereignty and civil aviation rights, and promote the sector's high-quality development.

The draft was submitted to an ongoing session of the National People's Congress Standing Committee for the first reading.

Consisting of 15 chapters and 255 articles, the draft makes comprehensive amendments to the existing civil aviation law. Key revisions include enhancing the safety of civil aviation, requiring civil airports to have the capability to prevent and address threats from unmanned aerial vehicles, and fine-tuning the entry criteria for public air transport enterprises and commercial general aviation companies.

One highlight is the development of general aviation and the low-altitude economy. China will accelerate the building of infrastructure for general aviation, enrich its services and develop civil airports, while also ensuring that the reasonable demand for airspace of the low-altitude economy are met, the draft says.

The revised draft also contains provisions regarding the protection of passenger rights, the alignment with relevant international regulations, and supervision and regulation of activities related to civil aviation.

The current civil aviation law came into force on March 1, 1996, and has undergone six amendments since then.