A helicopter pilot in a fatal midair collision during a theme park scenic flight was likely impaired by cocaine, alcohol and little sleep in the days prior, a coroner has heard.

A chief pilot has told an inquest into the 2023 helicopter crash that congested Gold Coast airspace required constant pilot vigilance and visual safety checks.

The company now operating as Surfers Paradise Helicopters had brought in a suite of new controls aimed at preventing another crash, an inquest heard.