It's expected that there will be nearly 10,000 fewer helicopter and air tours a year at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park on Hawaiʻi Island under a new plan from the federal government.
The National Park Service and the Federal Aviation Administration have completed an air tour management plan for the park, which is home to one of the world's most active volcanoes.
Under the plan, only 1,548 air tours will be authorized per year — down from existing levels of more than 11,300 flights.
The regulations are the result of a federal appeals court finding three years ago that the NPS and the FAA failed to enforce a 2000 law governing commercial air tours over national parks and some tribal lands.
Critics have argued that the whirr of chopper blades drowns out the sound of birds, bubbling lava and babbling brooks. That in turn disrupts the experiences of visitors and the tribes who call the land around the parks home.
The Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility and the Hawaii Island Coalition Malama Pono sued, demanding something be done nationwide.
The new rules for Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park are meant to protect natural and cultural resources, the wilderness, Native Hawaiian sacred sites and ceremonial areas, and the visitor experience, Superintendent Rhonda Loh said in a statement.
The only three designated routes for tours all avoid the summit of Kīlauea, visitor areas and more.
No-fly days now include all Sundays, six traditional Hawaiian holidays including the start and end of Makahiki, and two dates honoring Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani and Bernice Pauahi Bishop.
Tour operators will be able to continue air tours over the park and within a half-mile of its boundary until the permits are amended. That will occur no later than 180 days after the plan takes effect.
A news release said input was considered from Native Hawaiian organizations, land management agencies, local communities and recreation groups.
The final plan can be found on the NPS website.
The NPS and FAA have developed or are currently developing air tour management plans with several parks around the country as a result of the federal appeals court ruling.
Some of the nation's busiest spots for tour operators are Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and Haleakalā National Park.
