U.S. Department of Transportation Gives Santa Green Light for Flight

Santa’s Sleigh Passes FAA Inspection, Kris Kringle Granted Operating Authority

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta today gave Kris Kringle, a.k.a. Santa Claus, the green light to fly to various points throughout the United States the night of Dec. 24-25. The Secretary signed the waiver after a team from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conducted a safety inspection of Santa’s sleigh to ensure air worthiness.

“This sleigh is a truly unique vehicle that has allowed Santa to post some pretty enviable on-time delivery numbers,” said Secretary Mineta. “Considering that the sleigh has been heavily modified to allow for round the world flights in a single night, we want to make sure Santa is safe when he delivers his toys and goodies.”

The inspection, performed by the FAA’s Red and Green Team, took place at a hangar at Washington Reagan National Airport, outside Washington, DC. With Santa and Secretary Mineta looking on, the team made their list and checked it twice to make sure the sleigh is airworthy, has proper safety features and is equipped to handle a variety of winter weather conditions.

Once the sleigh passed inspection, Secretary Mineta signed an order granting a flight certificate that will allow Santa Claus to fly his sleigh throughout the United States the night of Dec. 24-25. The order noted Claus’s “obvious robust health” and demonstrated skill in safely operating in U.S. airspace.

Santa’s application was impressive because his flight will not impact air traffic, despite a busy itinerary that covers all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and U.S. territories, Mineta said.

The Department had asked for comment before issuing the flight authority and received millions of letters, many from self-described “nice” children. Several noted Santa scholars also wrote in, including author Clement Moore who vouched for Santa as “a right jolly old elf” and urged the Department to issue Santa the waiver.

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