Disney World and Disneyland No-Fly Zones Vanish From FAA Map

The no-fly zones over Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California have disappeared from the Federal Aviation Administration’s map of active temporary flight restrictions, according to WDW News Today and Inside the Magic. Pilots near the parks are still being told the restrictions apply, and neither the FAA nor Disney has announced a change.

For park guests, nothing has been reported to look different so far. No report describes aircraft flying low over either resort.

What disappeared from the map

A temporary flight restriction, or TFR, is a limit on aircraft flying through a defined block of U.S. airspace. The Disney zones carry that label, though their end date is listed as “permanent.” The Walt Disney World notice is NOTAM 4/3634, and the matching Disneyland Resort notice is NOTAM 4/3635.

Aerial photographer Bioreconstruct was the first to report that the entries were gone. WDW News Today says the Walt Disney World notice dropped off the map on Nov. 6, while Inside the Magic describes both entries as missing as of Nov. 10. Reports differ on the exact date.

WDW News Today says the FAA website still lists both restrictions as permanent. According to Bioreconstruct, air traffic control at Orlando International Airport (MCO) says the Walt Disney World restriction remains in effect.

How big the protected area is

The restrictions have existed since 2003. They bar pilots from flying within three nautical miles of Disney’s Contemporary Resort and of Disneyland Resort, at altitudes below 3,000 feet. At Walt Disney World, that circle covers Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney Springs sit outside it. Disneyland Resort is smaller, so the whole property falls inside its zone.

Inside the Magic reports that Congress required the restrictions in 2003 through a provision in a large federal spending bill. The provision did not name Disney. The outlet also cites an Orlando Sentinel report from that year saying at least one Disney lobbyist pushed for it, and says Disney told the newspaper its only motivation was the safety and enjoyment of guests.

The two outlets give different years for the latest notices. WDW News Today says the current Walt Disney World and Disneyland notices were filed in 2015. Inside the Magic says the Walt Disney World version was issued on Oct. 27, 2014.

What the FAA has said before

In 2013 testimony before Congress, then-FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said the Disney zones did not meet the agency’s standard requirements and would not exist without the law Congress passed. He told lawmakers he would remove them if not for that law, according to Inside the Magic.

Bills to end the restrictions were introduced in Congress in 2022 and again in May 2023. The 2023 bill went to a House aviation subcommittee and never advanced. Neither version became law.

Why it matters for visitors

Banner planes, helicopters and small aircraft flying low over the parks are the activities the zones were created to keep out. Whether that protection still applies is unclear. WDW News Today says it seems unlikely the restrictions have actually been lifted and suggests a clerical error or an expiration issue as possible explanations. Inside the Magic says it is not known whether the change is permanent or a problem with the FAA’s list.

If the listing was removed on purpose, it is not known what would happen to the requirement Congress set in 2003. The FAA has made no formal announcement, and Inside the Magic says it has seen nothing from the FAA or Disney about the missing entries.

What happens next

No date has been given for any FAA clarification. Inside the Magic says it will keep checking the FAA’s list for updates.

Sources: WDW News Today, Inside the Magic