Merry Christmas - We are pleased to report that everything went smoothly for Santa last night as he flew through Australian airspace.
Our air traffic controllers reported that his flight was uneventful. Santa kept in good contact and used the weather information provided to him to make sure he completed his trip quickly and without his reindeer’s using too much energy.
Santa left Australian airspace just after midnight West Australian time, heading for Papua New Guinea.
Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa’s sleigh is prepared, his sack is packed full of presents, the reindeers are standing by and the last letters from children all around the world have been received and loaded into the system.
Controllers have confirmed his flight plan, and told Santa of any last minute changes to his safety procedures.
Santa will use updated weather information procedures and flextracks technologies to fly safer, faster and more economically. Controllers in our air traffic control complex in Melbourne have made sure Santa will get a clear run tonight.
Santa is due to arrive in Australian airspace late on Christmas Eve but he has asked us to remind you that he knows when you are sleeping and he knows when you’re awake and that he will not be visiting houses where children try to stay awake to see him.
Check out the webcam feeds from the North Pole and on Santa's sleigh to see what's happening today.
Christmas Sleigh warning issued to pilots
Most pilots will be fast asleep when Santa comes to deliver his presents but there will be some still flying – like passenger jets, air ambulances or fire fighting helicopters.
On Christmas Eve, our air traffic controllers will be able to see the sleigh, but other aircraft will not so they will direct aircraft away from it’s flight path on the night and give Santa special priority clearance.
Santa’s nine magic reindeer led by Rudolph with his big red nose will be the fastest aircraft in the sky and it’s important that nothing get in their way.
Santa and the elves use magical reindeer dust to make them fly. This dust is sprinkled over the reindeer before they leave on Christmas Eve. It gives them powers to fly right around the world.
This evening Santa, the elves and the reindeer will all rest in preparation for their big day!
See the notice to all other aircraft to stay clear of Santa’s sleigh.
Santa to ride the winds on Christmas Eve
Santa's elves worked flat out overnight to get the sleigh prepared so Santa’s technicians could conduct the pre-flight checks and Santa Claus could lodge his final flight plan. The flight plan allows air traffic controllers to make sure aircraft are kept out of Santa’s way on Christmas Eve.
Our air traffic controllers have cleared Santa's sleigh to travel down the international date line, and move through the Pacific Islands and New Zealand before entering Australian airspace.
This year, Santa’s sleigh has been fitted out with a Flight Management System, similar to those used in aircraft. The FMS will allow Santa to monitor the weather conditions to detect winds and other factors that may speed up or slow down his flight.
He will continue to provide this up to the minute information to our air traffic controllers during the flight so that they can change his flight path to take advantage of the conditions. Effectively, this will allow Santa to ride the fast winds around the world so that he can deliver his presents in a shorter amount of time. This new technology will also help the reindeers because riding the winds means that they will have to use less energy in flight!
Are you naughty or are you nice?
Today is an exceptionally busy day for Santa and all of his helpers. While Santa does a final check of the naughty and nice list, the elves finish loading the presents onto the sleigh.
Santa will also spend some time with the reindeers to make sure they are all fit and healthy and will give Rudolph some extra carrots today to make sure that his nose glows especially bright on Christmas Eve.
Want to see if you are on the naughty or nice list? Take a peek over Santa’s shoulder as he checks the list, not once but twice!
Elves Workshop Christmas Party
The Elves are always very, very, very busy in the lead up to Christmas – so each year Santa gives them an evening off to relax before the last minute flurry of preparations for Christmas begin. Mrs Claus and Santa make lots of delicious food and everyone has a good time singing, dancing and playing reindeer games!
This year Mrs Claus and Santa invited some of our air traffic controllers to join the party to say thank you for their help, but they were so busy preparing the flight plans for Santa’s big trip they were unable to make it to the party. Santa sent through a photo of the festivities so they could see what they missed out on!
Elves ready sleigh
One of the most important jobs an elf has at Christmas is loading Santa’s sleigh. The elves use a special game to practice loading the sleigh in all kinds of difficult conditions. Santa has given us permission to release the software to Australian children to use.
Could you become one of Santa’s helper’s next year? Test your present loading skills in this special Santa Sleigh Game.
Santa releases satellite photos of North Pole
With Christmas only a week away Santa’s workshop is full of activity. Santa has given us permission to post some satellite images from the North Pole in the lead up to the big day.
You can zoom in on the images to see Santa feeding the reindeer, hitching up his trailer, the elves’ unloading all of Santa's mail, and more.
Santa releases a new game
After a busy year Santa wants every boy and girl to have a little fun this Christmas so he's given us permission to share his present stacking game with you. Every year his elves use a game to get ready for the loading of the sleigh with presents; it's important to pack everything just right so all the gifts will fit - how many presents can you stockpile?
Explore the inside of Santa’s sleigh
Santa has granted us exclusive access to his sleigh. Check out the display and all the controls Santa will use during his flight from the North Pole on Christmas Eve.
Santa has a big job delivering presents all over the world so he uses the technology on his sleigh to help make his job easier. From here he can feed the reindeer, release presents and keep an eye on his list of deliveries. He also has satellite navigation to make sure he doesn’t get lost and Santa uses weather information to update his flight management system on the best way to fly.
Click on the different parts of the dash to explore.
Santa releases images of 2008 sleigh
Santa has just released images of his sleigh – last year it was re-fitted with state of the art technology which allowed him and his reindeers to deliver more presents in a shorter amount of time.
Santa has advised our air traffic controllers that he will be using the same sleigh this year - this information is important and helps with Santa’s flight planning for Christmas Eve.
Use our sleigh explorer to see how Santa will be delivering your presents this year. Make sure you come back to see what other plans Santa has underway for Christmas 08.
Santa prepares for another busy Christmas Eve
With only 12 days until Christmas, Santa is busy getting ready for his worldwide whirlwind trip.
Air traffic controllers around the world are helping Santa prepare for the busiest night of the year. In Australia, our air traffic controllers work very closely with Santa to make sure he doesn’t encounter any problems while travelling in and around our big country!
This year Santa is giving Australian children a sneak preview of his special preparations. Each day from Monday 15 December 2008, Santa will reveal exactly what he is doing in the lead up to Christmas Eve.
Make sure you visit the website daily so you don’t miss a minute of Santa’s preparations! You never know, through our new satellite technology you may even get a sneak peek at his naughty and nice list…which one will you be on?
