I don’t know why but this story makes me smile every year.
Santa cleared to fly over Australia
20 December 2002
SANTA has been given the all-clear for Australian airspace on Christmas Eve.
Transport Minister John Anderson said Santa had been fully briefed about changes in the national airspace system since his flight last Christmas.
And it appears Rudolph the reindeer will lead Santa this year, in a bid to comply with aviation lighting rules.
“I am pleased to confirm that Santa will be able to operate in Australian airspace as normal,” Mr Anderson said in a statement.
“However, the briefing was complicated by a disagreement about the navigation lights carried by the sleigh.”
Mr Anderson said civil aviation regulations require all aircraft to carry red, green and white navigation lights.
But Santa’s elves had complained the lights would distract the reindeer.
“One of the reindeer, Rudolph, has a very shiny nose,” he said.
“The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has therefore directed that Rudolph must lead the sleigh on Christmas Eve.”
Mr Anderson said as there had never been a complaint about low-flying sleighs and reindeer, Santa had been cleared to operate through the Adelaide, Coolangatta and Sydney airport curfew hours.
http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,5713131%255E13762,00.html