FAA Announces Super Bowl LVI Safety Plan

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is working with law enforcement, the aviation community and the National Football League to ensure safe, secure and efficient aircraft operations for Super Bowl LVI. The Super Bowl will be held Feb. 13, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

The agency is planning for hundreds of additional take-offs and landings and aircraft parked at Los Angeles-area airports during Super Bowl week. Special procedures, including Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR) and a No Drone Zone, will limit flights around SoFi Stadium before, during and after the game.

The game-day TFR will go into effect at approximately 2:30 p.m. PST. It will cover a ring of 30 nautical miles (34.5 miles), centered over the stadium and from the ground up to 18,000 feet in altitude. It will expire at 8:30 p.m. PST, but may be extended if conditions warrant. Drones also are prohibited inside the TFR.

Pilots must be aware of the latest flight advisories and check Notices to Air Missions (NOTAM) before flying. Pilots and drone operators who enter the TFRs without permission could face civil penalties that exceed $30,000 and potential criminal prosecution.

The TFR will not affect regularly scheduled commercial flights at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Emergency, medical, public safety and military operations may fly in the TFR while it is in place, in coordination with air traffic control.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) enforces TFRs in real time.

Kim Stevens

Kim Stevens is the publisher of State Aviation Journal, which he founded in 2009. A longtime commercial-rated pilot, he was introduced to state aviation in 1992 as Director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics, later serving as Deputy Division Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division. From 2013 to 2018, he was Director of Communications and Operations for the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) in Washington, D.C. Relocating to North Carolina, Kim worked for the Raleigh-Durham International Airport for two years and now concentrates solely on the Journal. Prior to his aviation career, Kim spent a decade in the newspaper and magazine business.