In a surprising development, DJI has told customers via its blog that the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been holding its drones from entering the country "due to a misunderstanding."
That's why Americans aren't seeing the new Air 3S on Amazon yet (though it's still on the dji.com store US page, so clearly DJI are expecting resolution).
DJI are very clear that they are complying with existing US laws, but in an environment in which anti-DJI legislation has passed the lower house (the House of Representatives) it's easy to see why this kind of delay might have more significance than DJI's own blog suggests.
This customs block isn't about that bill, which isn't yet law, but the suspicion that the DJI drones – including the new Air 3S – might be produced in Xinjiang. This – or being produced by 'certain listed entities' (not including DJI) – means it can be stopped under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA).
DJI is very clear in their statement that their products are not produced in this region, and say "DJI complies with U.S. law and international labor and manufacturing standards. DJI adheres to Section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. §1307) and 22 U.S.C. §6901, and holds the ISO 45001 certification."
Crucially customs officials can choose to stop things on the "suspicion" it has been been produced in said region. The US CBP never has with any DJI products until now, which does beg the question why the sudden change in the stance. So far as we know, DJI haven't changed manufacturing locations.
In case it's slipped your attention, China is a politically charged issue in the US, and other drone operators – not least Skydio, who now only sell to commercial and government clients – have made clear that they're gunning for Chinese manufacturers in general and DJI, as the largest, and accept that some businesses & users will experience "pain" on the way.
I reviewed the new DJI Air 3S this week (in the UK), and I have to admit I was mighty impressed. Americans are likely to feel rightly left out if the drone continues to be held at port.
The upgraded version of the Air 3 – with a new LiDAR system, 1-inch main camera sensor and 120FPS 4K – has been shipping to the rest of the world since launch two days ago.
Back in June DJI's Adam Welsh told me: "We would be in a ludicrous position if we had new advanced products that are being released across Europe, South America, Middle East, Africa, everywhere else, and you just had this sort of weird backwater in the US, which is supposedly the technological capital of the world"
That was a hypothetical conversation; today Americans can taste the experience for the first time as better tech isn't available in the USA. We'll let you know if it is deemed to be an administrative error, as DJI suggest, or the policy going forward.
