Private Planes Flock to Arizona for Super Bowl, Phoenix Open
AZ – The combination of the Super Bowl and the Phoenix Open isn’t just causing major upheaval to the region on the ground — it’s also causing traffic in the air with a high volume of private planes. Throughout the week, metro Phoenix airports will see over 4,000 more take-offs and landings than usual, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. There are 1,000 private jets and 1,100 aircraft parked around the area. The Jackson Jet Center anticipates a takeoff once every six minutes the day after Super Bowl 57 concludes, which is more than it has ever experienced.
The FAA requires private pilots to file their flight plans at least four hours prior to Super Bowl week. And it requires reservations to fly a private plane into and out of metro Phoenix airports from Feb. 9 to Feb. 13. These measures help the airport and FBO staff make plans to handle the increased traffic and manage the airspace for safety. “Most visitors want to depart after the game, and so Monday morning is a very popular and desirable time to leave,” Mascaro said. “Having a reservation system for aircraft operations is important to manage the influx of traffic during this time and allows everyone to plan and coordinate the flow of aircraft effectively, reducing congestion and minimizing any delays.”
Staff at the Scottsdale and Glendale airports said they received calls for reservations weeks ahead of the game. In Scottsdale, reservations came in earlier than they did in the lead-up to the 2015 Super Bowl, Mascaro said. Glendale noticed reservations coming in at a faster pace after the two teams were determined, Smith said. The trend isn’t new — after Super Bowl 56 concluded in Los Angeles last year, more than 140 private jets took off within four hours of the confetti falling.
Meanwhile, Las Vegas area officials are taking notes as the city prepares to host next year’s Super Bowl. Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft, who also serves as co-chair of the Las Vegas Super Bowl Committee’s transportation committee, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that they expect more air traffic than the Phoenix area had due to the historic nature of next year’s big game. “I think you’ll see even more than that,” Naft said. “I expect that to be maximized. I had discussions with DOA about this topic. They’ve given me assurances that everything that can be done to prepare for it is being done. That includes things like we just opened the expanded surface lot in Henderson (Executive Airport). That’s going to be really well utilized. As will the expanded surface lot at Reid International will be operational this year.”