Minister of Transport clears Santa Claus for travel in Canadian airspace

OTTAWA, ON, Dec. 22, 2023 /CNW/ – Today, the Minister of Transport, Pablo Rodriguez, announced that the North Pole’s most famous resident, along with his crew of nine reindeers have passed a strict certification and inspection process. They are now cleared for travel in Canadian airspace.

Earlier this month, Minister Rodriguez received a phone call from the Prime Minister, reminding him of his duties overseeing the efficiency of Canada’s supply chains and clearing Santa for travel, ensuring children across Canada get their gifts on time. And with a zero-emission sleigh, Santa’s crew are helping Canada achieve its net-zero and climate targets.

As is required every year, the minister personally reviews all of Santa’s paperwork and checks it twice. In turn, Santa shared a copy of his flight plan, his pre-flight checklist (although not a copy of the naughty/nice list) and confirmed he has had enough rest before the long flight ahead.

Given Santa’s role in the Christmas present supply chain, each year Transport Canada inspectors travel to the North Pole to take a close look at Santa’s sleigh and its safety systems. That includes the landing gear, de-icing systems, and navigation equipment. This year, inspectors also checked the jingle volume of the sleighbells and that Rudolph’s nose is operating at maximum brightness!

Transport Canada wishes all Canadians a safe and happy holiday season and would like to remind passengers travelling by non-sleigh to arrive early at airports and train stations, to follow all recommended safety practices, and to be kind to those around you.

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Minister of Transport clears Santa Claus for travel in Canadian airspace

Quote

“I’m delighted to fulfill the important task of clearing Santa and his crew for travel in Canadian airspace in my new role as Minister of Transport. We will be working around the clock to guarantee Santa and his reindeer have a safe and jolly trip across our country. I’d like to wish all Canadians, from coast-to-coast-to-coast, a safe and joyful holiday season.”

The Honourable Pablo Rodriguez

Minister of Transport

Quick Facts

• •  You can track Santa and his reindeer on the NORAD Tracks Santa website and on X (Twitter), by following the #NoradTracksSanta hashtag.
• •  The rules don’t just apply to Santa! If you’re going to fly your drone at night, make sure you know the drone safety rules. Your drone must have lights to avoid spooking the reindeer, or worse, causing a collision with Santa’s sleigh or other aircrafts. Failure to fly your drone safely could have your name added to Santa’s Naughty List!

Transport Canada is online at tc.canada.ca. Subscribe to e-news or stay connected through X (Twitter), Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn to keep up to date on the latest from Transport Canada.

SOURCE Transport Canada – Ottawa