By
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON - The government issued new routes Monday for air tour operators over the Grand Canyon, moving some flights between the South Rim and Las Vegas away from areas heavily used by American Indians and hikers.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it was moving current flight paths over the canyon's central portions, including the Havasupai Indian reservation, toward the western end of the park that is closer to Las Vegas.
The change angered industry operators.
Steve Bassett, president of the U.S. Air Tour Association, said it will cause "irreparable damage to our Las Vegas-based members by destroying the only viable scenic air tour route they had left from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon."
The new routes go into effect April 19. But Bassett said most air tour companies based at the park airport in Arizona were spared other immediate route modifications due to safety concerns the group brought to the FAA's attention.
Safety over the Grand Canyon became an issue after a helicopter and tour plane collided in June 1986, killing 25 people.
Environmentalists welcomed the new flight paths, although they do not affect popular flights leaving from the South Rim that fly over the canyon in a circular route.
"That's really good news for the Havasupai and the central part of the Grand Canyon, where lots of people go to visit the backcountry," said Rob Smith, the Sierra Club's southwest regional representative in Phoenix. "What's disappointing is they didn't address changes in the eastern part of the park."
The FAA has said the regulations, which take effect April 19, ensure that more than a third of the park would be free from aircraft noise at least three-quarters of the time. Summer is the busiest season. A 1987 federal law sponsored by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., required the government to restore natural quiet to the canyon.
About a half-dozen Las Vegas-area airplane tour operators and several helicopter companies lead flights over the Grand Canyon, which is located 170 miles east of the city.
