The plan authorizes up to 946 tours each year on six defined routes over the park and up to a half-mile outside it, at altitudes above 2,600 feet.  This is equivalent to the average 946 air tours per year reported over the park from 2017 to 2019. The plan becomes effective 90 days after it was signed on Dec. 2. 

Commercial air tours have occurred over the Smokies for many years without defined operating parameters. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is among 24 parks in the National Park System for which the agencies are developing air tour management plans or voluntary agreements, through a joint effort of the National Park Service and Federal Aviation Administration. The plans must meet the requirements from the National Parks Air Tour Management Act to mitigate or prevent significant adverse impacts from commercial air tours on the park and NPS’s obligation to protect the park’s natural and cultural resources, wildlife and the visitor enjoyment.    

“We appreciate the tireless work that went into the development of the Smokies air tour management plan,” said Superintendent Cassius Cash. “The plan incorporates several improvements that allow continued air tour activity, while at the same time better protecting the wilderness character of the backcountry, wildlife populations, natural soundscapes, and the visitor experience in historic areas like Cades Cove.”    

An important part of the process is the inclusion of American Indian tribes. The agencies consulted with tribes that have tribal lands within or adjacent to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and with tribes that attach historic and cultural significance to resources within the park.  

The final air tour management plan is available at parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?documentID=123803.