No more commercial air tours over Arizona's Canyon de Chelly

CANYON DE CHELLY NATIONAL MONUMENT, Arizona: The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Park Service approved a ban on commercial air tours over Canyon de Chelly National Monument in northeastern Arizona this week.

The park service announced that a plan to ban helicopter tours over Canyon de Chelly National Monument and within a half-mile of its boundary was signed last week. Unless there are legal challenges, the ban will take effect in 180 days.

Canyon de Chelly is located in the Four Corners region within the Navajo Nation. It is one of the most visited national monuments in the U.S., famous for its towering sandstone cliffs, the 800-foot Spider Rock spire, and ancient rock art created by Native Americans who have lived there for thousands of years.

Sightseeing flights in the area began in the 1930s when workers building the Hoover Dam arranged helicopter rides for their families. These flights became popular for offering stunning aerial views, especially over places like the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Other popular spots for air tours include Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Haleakala National Park in Hawaii.

Supporters of the tours argue they provide an exciting way for tourists, including older adults and people with disabilities, to enjoy the parks. However, critics believe the flights are unnecessarily risky and disrupt the natural experience for visitors on the ground. They also note that the noise from helicopters can interfere with the peace of the area and the traditions of tribal communities living nearby.

To address safety concerns, rules about flight routes and altitudes were introduced in 1986 after a deadly collision between two aircraft over the Grand Canyon. Despite these regulations, helicopter tours of the Grand Canyon are still widely available, departing from cities like Las Vegas and Sedona, Arizona.

The park service works with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to enforce the National Park Air Tour Management Act of 2000. This law requires commercial air tour operators to get FAA approval and establishes management plans for flights over parks and nearby tribal lands.

Canyon de Chelly is the latest of about two dozen national parks where efforts to restrict or ban flyovers have succeeded. Similar bans are in place or planned for parks like Badlands National Park and Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, Glacier National Park in Montana, and Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico. In Death Valley National Park, only two air tours per year are allowed.