Airservices launches Santa 2011
12-12-2011 -Preparations for Santa’s visit to Australia have begun, with Australia’s air navigation service provider launching its ‘Santa 2011’ website.
The preparations come as air traffic controllers prepare for Santa’s flight through Australian airspace on one of the busiest nights of the year, Christmas Eve.
Our controllers will be working closely with Santa and his elves in the lead-up to Christmas to ensure a safe passage for his sleigh and reindeer across the nation’s skies.
This year, we will be helping Santa to fly with greater accuracy by using satellite-based technology.
This will help ensure Santa is able to get to all places he needs to visit by the most direct, safest and efficient route without tiring out the reindeer.
Air traffic controllers will know exactly where Santa is at any given time as his sleigh will broadcast his call-sign, position, altitude, velocity and other data twice per second.
Santa’s sleigh has been allocated the call sign ‘Big Red One’ by air traffic controllers.
The accuracy of the information displayed on the controllers’ screens will allow them to keep other aircraft well clear of Santa’s flight-path and give him priority as he carries out his special deliveries.
For the first time, Airservices will also be launching a dedicated ‘Airservices tracks Santa’ Facebook page, which can be found at www.facebook.com/airservicessanta11, as well as reporting his preparations from our official Twitter account - @AirservicesNews.
Check the Santa 2011 website every day for updates, help decorate Frosty the Snowman and read Santa’s top secret note to our controllers.
More details on Santa’s flight preparations can be found on Airservices special Santa 2011 site at www.airservicesaustralia.com/santa11.
For media inquiries or to request an interview, please contact Airservices Media on (02) 6257 2828 or by emailing media@airservicesaustralia.com.
Get the latest news and updates via our Twitter account: @AirservicesNews.
AUDIO GRABS
Provided by Airservices spokesperson, Matt Wardell
Grab 1: Airservices air traffic controllers have already starting working closely with Santa to plan his flight through Australian airspace on Christmas Eve.
Grab 2: This is a pretty complex task as we have to ensure Santa can get to where he needs to go while ensuring all the other aircraft operating that night can still get to their destinations on time.
Grab 3: Our air traffic controllers work closely with Santa and his elves over several weeks to make sure that his visit to Australia is as smooth as possible.
Grab 4: Our air traffic controllers will be providing advanced flight planning advice and the very latest weather information on Christmas Eve to ensure everything goes according to plan.
Grab 5: Thanks to our state-of-the art technology, Airservices air traffic controllers will also know where Santa is at all times and be able to give him top priority as he delivers gifts across Australia.
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