You might get a glimpse of Santa Claus now that the North Pole’s famous resident and his nine reindeer have been cleared by the federal government for travel in Canadian airspace.
No different from other clearances, Santa Claus passed a “strict” certification and inspection process, Transportation Minister Pablo Rodriguez announced in a news release Friday. Rodriguez reportedly reviewed all of Santa’s paperwork and checked it twice before giving Santa the all-clear.
Just in time for his gift-giving duties, Transport Canada inspectors travelled to the North Pole to take a closer look at Santa’s zero-emission sleigh and its safety systems, officials said. They also made sure to check the jingle volume of his sleigh bells and that Rudolph’s nose is operating at “maximum brightness.”
“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,” Rodriguez said in the press release.
Santa shared a copy of his flight plan and pre-flight checklist and confirmed he had enough rest for the long flight ahead — but no secrets were spilled for the naughty and nice list. For that, Canadians will have to wait.
You can track Santa and his reindeer on the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Tracks Santa’s website on Dec. 24, featuring a holiday countdown, games, music and more. This marks the 68th year that NORAD has tracked Santa and his crew.
Curious trackers can also call 1-877-HI-NORAD to ask live operators about Santa’s location from 6 a.m. to midnight MST.