A tourism operator has agreed to adhere to strict guidelines on helicopter joy flights over Kangaroo Island in South Australia.
Heli Experiences has been given approval by the Federal Environment Minister and SA's Environment Protection Authority to begin operating flights from spring.
The company says a local conservation group which had been opposing the flights has withdrew an appeal.
Nick Jones from the South Australian Tourism Commission says Heli Experiences will be the first permanent helicopter tour operator on the Island.
"We first approached them in around 2009 so it's been quite a long process, but a process that Heli Experiences have clearly demonstrated their commitment [to], not only to be commercially viable but also environmentally sensitive," he said.
"We settled on a series of flight paths, a series of heights that we would operate on and also we agreed on a number of areas that we would avoid at all cost and specifically wilderness protection areas, as you would expect."
