Christmas is the time for spreading joy and giving each other gifts for millions and millions of families around the world. And for AvGeeks, every year around this period, they get to experience the joy of tracking Santa Claus and his magical sleigh around the world. For the readers unaware, this can be done the same way many AvGeeks track flights…. On FlightRadar24.
Since the evening of December 23, Santa’s journey has been made available for everyone to track on FlighRadar24’s website and application, showing that the journey beginning at the North Pole and the progress to various parts of the world.
A Very Special Call Sign – R3DN05E
Playing with Christmas-themed references, the callsign on flightradar24 given to Santa and his sleigh is R3DN05E, which is an obvious play with the words, Red Nose, referring to Rudolph, one of Santa’s reindeers, that flies the magical sleigh, which is also commonly known as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The fun does not stop there, as Santa’s journey, as shown on FlighRadar24, began on Tuesday, December 23, at 08:00 (UTC) with the aforementioned callsign along with flight number SANTA1 onboard his sleigh, which has an IATA/ICAO aircraft code of SLEI.
But the Christmas-themed references do not stop there. Any AvGeek would know that every aircraft in the world (in this case, a magical flying sleigh) needs an aircraft registration, and FlightRadar24 does not disappoint in this front either, as the sleigh has been registered under the code HOHOHO; however, it is worth noting that the tracking platform does not specify which country the sleigh is registered in.
FlightRadar24’s blog states Santa is tracked using Christmas magic, along with the following statement:
“Santa is also helpfully able to extend the reach of his transponder by using the reindeer antlers as additional antenna.”
High Speed, High Altitude, Global Coverage
Considering the sleigh has magical properties and that it needs to fly all over the world in such a short period of time, it is not surprising that it flies at altitudes much higher than commercial jets. After all, flight safety is important, and it is unknown if Santa’s sleigh and reindeers are equipped with TCAS or not. Therefore, while commercial flights (the majority of aerial traffic) fly at altitudes up to 41,000 feet, Santa’s sleigh is flying at a much higher 60,000 feet.
At the time of writing, Santa is cruising over the United States in North America, flying through the Indianapolis Flight Information Region (FIR) and Upper Information Region (UIR) at speeds exceeding Mach 2.8 (over 2.8 times faster than the speed of sound), which equates to ground speeds of over 1,460 knots. However, since Santa’s journey began, at times he has exceeded ground speeds of over 12,000 knots.
For context, 12,000 knots approximately equates to nearly Mach 18, but since the reference used is ground speed, the exact Mach number can vary depending on environmental factors such as altitude, air density, temperature, and the local speed of sound. Regardless of that, even at the aforementioned speeds of Mach 2.8, it is still flying faster than the top speed of the Concorde and the F-35.
5 Fast Facts On Tracking Santa With NORAD
Santa Claus is tracked every year by NORAD has he completes his midnight run giving presents to all the good children around the world.
Christmas Celebrations Across Aviation
Whilst within the realms of reality, it is extremely unlikely that passengers would spot Santa through their airplane windows, airlines around the world usually embrace the holidays and the festivities by making the flight experience for their passengers all the more special. This can include decorations at the airports or the airline’s lounges, or even introducing special meals and snacks at the lounges or onboard as part of a special in-flight festive menu. Often, crew members can also be seen with Christmas-themed modifications to their uniforms.
Carriers such as 
Emirates usually have curated menus for festive periods such as Christmas, and this year is no exception. Press release from the airline earlier this month stated that passengers traveling in all cabin classes from December 17 to 26 will be treated with “aromatic festive hot chocolate”, and passengers departing from the airline’s home at 
Dubai International Airport (DXB) between December 24 and 26, will be able to enjoy special treats, some of which are, as follows:
|
Cabin Class |
Special Treat |
|---|---|
|
Economy |
Dark Chocolate Truffles |
|
Premium Economy |
Homemade Gingerbread Cookies |
|
Business |
|
|
First |
Raspberry Paris-Brest Pastry |
Additionally, special meals, cocktails, and champagne will also be available across the airline’s lounges around the world, and onboard the carrier will also have a holiday-inspired selection of music and movies for passengers to enjoy during their flights on Emirates’ award-winning inflight entertainment system during this period.
