Reduction of air tours over Hawaii national parks is proposed

Noisy air tours would be greatly reduced over Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and Haleakala National Park under draft plans unveiled Monday.

The court-ordered plans by the National Park Service and Federal Aviation Administration use a combination of route and altitude limitations and no-fly days to reduce noise levels.

Public comment is being accepted on the draft plans now through June 16.

At Hawai‘i Volcanoes the plan would reduce air tours by an estimated 86% by authorizing up to 1,665 air tours per year using three defined routes. It would also designate Sundays as no-fly days and Wednesdays for quiet-technology flights only from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

In addition, the plan specifies flight times from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for non-quiet- technology flights and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for flights using quiet technology.

At Haleakala the plan estimates a 50% reduction in air tours and requires a complete transition to quiet technology by 2033.

The plan authorizes up to 2,412 air tours per year on only one defined route, with air tours allowed from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day accept Sundays and Wednesdays. Quiet-technology flights would be allowed to fly until 4 p.m. on the days when flights are allowed.

The FAA and the National Park Service aim to complete the plans by the end of the year in a schedule approved by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to comply with the National Parks Air Tour Management Act of 2000.

Ruling in 2020, the court ordered the FAA and NPS to adopt limits on air tours over 23 national parks, including Haleakala and Hawai‘i Volcanoes national parks.

The order came in response to a lawsuit by Hawaii Island Coalition Malama Pono and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, which argued that the agencies were offering little relief from the noise being generated by air tours.

In siding with the petitioners, the court noted, “For nineteen years, the agencies have failed to comply with their statutory mandate despite Congress’s command to ‘make every effort’ to do so within two years of an application.”

Calling the effort by the federal agencies “underwhelming,” the court said judicial intervention was needed and that it would ultimately have to approve the plans.

A National Park Service report published in 2019 indicated that of all the national parks, Hawai‘i Volcanoes is the one most affected by tour helicopter flights. Ten operators reported a total of 11,376 flights per year at the Hawaii island national park between 2017 and 2019.

The same report indicated that Haleakala National Park is the fourth most affected park, with 4,757 flights in the prior year.

There was a range of proposed air tour management plans for units of the National Park System released Monday, from a complete ban on overflights to a substantial number of flights permitted.

Mike Murray, chairman of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, told National Parks Traveler on Monday that he wondered why the parks in Hawaii didn’t totally ban overflights as proposed at Badlands National Park and Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota.

“We are especially glad that the NPS has identified preferred alternatives for Badlands and Mount Rushmore that would provide the ‘greatest level of protection’ for park resources and values by not allowing any commercial air tours within one-half mile of the respective park boundaries. In contrast, it is curious that NPS has identified preferred alternatives for both Hale­akala and Hawai‘i Volcanoes that would provide considerably less than ‘the greatest level of protection’ at those parks,” Murray said.

The Hawaii Helicopter Association previously said operators have invested in quiet aircraft and technologies over the past several decades and are working to ensure “responsible operations for both our residents and visitors.”

The investment, the organization said, includes a digital tracking system that addresses several areas of concern to help with regulatory compliance.

The Air Tour Management Plan, environmental assessment and related documents for each park are located online. Feedback can be submitted through the NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment website until 8 p.m. June 16.

“An important part of the process is the inclusion of Native Hawaiian groups and individuals,” a park release said. “The agencies are consulting with Native Hawaiian organizations and other groups that have lands adjacent to Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, and with Kupuna (elders) and individuals who attach historic and cultural significance to resources within the park.”

Learn more

>> The Hawaii Volcanoes project website is available at bit.ly/3pzpauM.

>> The Haleakala project website is available at bit.ly/455rOsI.