NORAD prepares to track Santa’s Christmas Eve flight

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (WTOC) -NORAD is preparing to track Santa Claus as he begins his Christmas Eve journey around the world in two days.

Aerospace personnel are preparing to take thousands of calls from children wanting updates on Santa’s route. The North American Aerospace Defense Command will monitor Santa’s flight while maintaining airspace security.

“What we do is provide aerospace warning, maritime warning, and aerospace control. We do that 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. And on December 24th, we just add Santa to that basket,” said Sgt. Major. Montrell Kea of NORTHCOM J4 Directorate for Engineering and Logistics.

Now in its 70th year, NORAD is bringing together thousands of volunteers and setting up its call center to track Santa’s flight. Using the North Warning System radar, NORAD watches for any indication of Santa’s departure from the North Pole.

When Santa takes off, NORAD switches to the same satellites used to detect potential missile launches aimed at North America.

“It’s very transparent to transfer those systems over and utilize them to track the world’s greatest aviator, Santa,” Kea said.

The holiday tradition began in 1955 by accident. A child trying to call Santa dialed a number printed in a newspaper ad. The call reached the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center instead of the North Pole.

The commander on duty answered and asked his team to check the radar for signs of Santa heading south.

“And then ever since then, we’ve been providing this to the people of the North America continent,” Kea said.

Fighter pilots who have encountered Santa say the experience is always pleasant.

“It’s been noted that our fighter pilots have interacted with Santa. There have never been any issues sharing the skies with him,” Kea said.

The NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center becomes fully operational at 4 a.m. Mountain time on Christmas Eve. People can call 1-877-HI-NORAD to talk directly to a Santa Tracker who will provide Santa’s current location. Santa can be tracked at home through NORAD’s Santa Tracker website.