Minister Garneau gives the green light to Santa for take-off!

NORTH POLE, Dec. 22, 2016 /CNW/ - The Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport, has cleared Santa Claus for take-off again this year. Santa's flight plan is approved and his secret itinerary has been shared with all countries.

Earlier today, Santa successfully renewed his commercial pilot license and passed his annual medical examination. View the exclusive behind-the-scenes footage here.

Inspired by Minister Garneau's announcement on rear-view cameras for vehicles, Santa installed state-of-the-art back-up cameras on his sleigh. The cameras are entirely powered by renewable energy: reindeer trot motion! With HD infrared lights for night vision and 130 degree angle view, Santa and his flight crew can now keep an eye on all the presents and back-up without any fear of slipping off a narrow roof.

Transport Canada has reissued a Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC) for Santa's drone. The drone's onboard camera will help Santa and Rudolf navigate in remote areas much more easily. Santa will be assisted by second officer in command Elf Dronita who will act as a remote observer, keeping the drone in sight at all times to ensure it maintains a safe distance from other aircraft. Santa is also testing the efficiency of drone gift delivery, an area he'd like to explore further in the future.

Minister Garneau would like to remind Canadians to keep drones inside after dark: a drone that is not part of Santa's fleet could easily spook the reindeer or at worst, cause a collision with the sleigh or other aircraft. To keep Santa safe, Canadians can use Transport Canada's new online tool to report a drone incident from their mobile phones: report a drone incident.

Quote

"I would like to commend Santa and his elves for their extraordinary service to children in Canada and around the world. Santa does not shy away from hard work. He insists on yearly license renewal and always keeps up to date on the latest safety regulations. He has shown us that by investing in innovation and clean technologies we can achieve a safe, secure and efficient transportation system."

The Honourable Marc Garneau
Minister of Transport

Quick Facts

Santa would like to remind everyone who asked for a drone this holiday season to learn the rules of the skies before flying for the first time. Check out the safety guidelines at: www.Canada.ca/drone-safety. Failure to fly safe could see your name added to Santa's Naughty List!
CATSA unveiled the SANTA Plus reindeer screening checkpoint at the North Pole airport on December 1, 2016. New features such as remote x-ray viewing rooms and motorized gingerbread rollers have reduced screening time by 50%.
To avoid pilot fatigue, Santa and his flight crew will enjoy a pre-flight nap before December 24.

Associated Links

Video: Santa is fit to fly and ready for take-off
Download the department's Santa video

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SOURCE Transport Canada

CONTACT: Delphine Denis, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport, Ottawa, 613-991-0700, delphine.denis@tc.gc.ca; Media Relations, Transport Canada, Ottawa, 613-993-0055, media@tc.gc.ca