PARK CITY, Utah — Uber planned to resume helicopter flights at the Sundance Film Festival this weekend despite a cease-and-desist order from a Utah sheriff who says he could arrest pilots who land near Park City.
The ride-hailing company’s decision comes after a judge ruled that there wasn’t enough evidence to ground the copters during the star-studded opening weekend.
Summit County Sheriff Justin Martinez said that he could still ticket or arrest pilots because the companies didn’t get the proper permits to land in a field not far from homes in the mountain town. “I don’t want to arrest people and take them to jail. But that is an option available to me,” he said.
Uber and the helicopter companies say they tried to work with local authorities, but they argue that zoning laws don’t apply to air travel and there was no permit to apply for.
The flights are dependent on weather, but otherwise set to take off as planned, Uber spokesman Taylor Patterson said.
“We’ve seen a ton of interest; people are really excited about it,” Patterson said.
On Thursday, Uber began offering to ferry visitors by helicopter about 40 miles from the Salt Lake City airport to the Robert Redford-founded festival in Park City. The company is charging $200 oneway during the day and $300 at night, with lower prices for customers who book ahead.
Summit County moved to block the copters the next day, after getting hundreds of complaints about the landings in a rural field beloved by sandhill cranes not far from homes, prosecutor Robert Hilder said.