The Federal Aviation Administration has reissued the Disney World no-fly zone and its Disneyland counterpart, replacing notices that had been on the books since 2014. The airspace itself has not changed. Both restrictions still cover a 3-nautical-mile radius from the surface up to 3,000 feet above ground level, and both are still permanent. What changed is the language, including the line that used to name drones.
What the FAA Issued on November 10
The Walt Disney World restriction is now FDC NOTAM 6/6924, issued Nov. 10 and listed as effective immediately with a permanent end date. It says it replaces NOTAM 4/3634 “to reflect updated language.” Disneyland received a matching notice, FDC NOTAM 6/6925, later the same day. It replaces NOTAM 4/3635 with the same explanation.
The Tree of Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Credit: Jedi94 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The replacements came after the old Disney entries went missing from the FAA’s public flight restriction list. BlogMickey reported that the Walt Disney World restriction dropped off the list on the morning of Nov. 10, and that the FAA had not explained why. WDW News Today reported that aerial photographer Bioreconstruct first noticed the Disney World notice missing from the FAA map on Nov. 6, and said Orlando International Airport air traffic control told him the restriction had remained in effect.
What Stayed the Same
The center point is unchanged. Both the old and new Disney World notices use the same coordinates near the Orlando VORTAC reference point, ORL238014.8, and both draw a 3-nautical-mile circle that runs from the surface to 3,000 feet above ground level. The Disneyland notices also match each other, centered on the same Anaheim point referenced to the Seal Beach VORTAC.
BlogMickey notes that the Disney World circle covers Magic Kingdom and most of EPCOT, while Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney Springs sit outside it.
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The legal basis carries over word for word. The new notices still say the restrictions comply with Section 352 of Public Law 108-7, as amended by Section 521 of Public Law 108-199. They still classify the area as “national defense airspace,” still say anyone who knowingly or willfully breaks the rules may face criminal penalties under 49 USC 46307, and still say pilots who do not follow the procedures may be intercepted, detained, and interviewed by law enforcement or security personnel.
The exceptions are also unchanged. The rules do not apply to aircraft authorized by and in contact with air traffic control for operational or safety purposes, or to Department of Defense, law enforcement, and air ambulance flights. Flights tied to any Disney World or Disneyland event and venue are allowed with an approved waiver.
What Changed
The biggest wording change involves drones. The 2014 notices said “all aircraft flight operations, including unmanned and remote controlled aircraft, are prohibited.” The new notices say all aircraft flight operations are prohibited and leave out the unmanned and remote-controlled phrase. BlogMickey points out that drones still count as aircraft under FAA rules, so they appear to remain covered even though they are no longer named.
Spaceship Earth at EPCOT in January 2022. Credit: Benoît Prieur / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
The format changed too. The old notices were labeled a “special security notice” and split into two parts. The new ones are single notices filed under temporary flight restrictions, and each now ends with “effective immediately until further notice.” The Disney World notice’s new number is 6/6924, and Disneyland’s is 6/6925.
Waivers issued under the old notices stay valid until their listed end dates, but no longer than 90 days after the new notices took effect. That puts the outer limit around Feb. 8, 2027.
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What It Means for Guests
For anyone in the parks, nothing changes. The skies over Cinderella Castle and Spaceship Earth stay closed to banner planes and low-flying aircraft. Efforts in Congress to end the Disney zones, including Rep. Troy Nehls’ 2022 bill and its 2023 reintroduction, never became law.
The exterior of Mickey’s Philharmagic in Disney World – YouTube, Theme Parks Assemble
The open question is why the old entries vanished from the public list before the replacements posted. The FAA’s new text says only that the notices were updated, and it has not said whether dropping the named drone language was meant to change anything for drone pilots.
The FAA rewrote the paperwork and left the circle exactly where it was, which is the outcome most guests would want.
Did you notice the Disney no-fly zones vanish from the FAA map, or does the update not matter to you as long as the skies stay clear? Let us know!
