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NORAD Tracks Santa’s Final Pacific Leg as 70th-Year Operation Peaks

The binational program repurposes radar, infrared satellites plus an E-3 Sentry to provide real-time updates for families.

Overview

  • NORAD reported Santa traveling south from Alaska over the Pacific on the final stretch of his Christmas Eve journey, confirmed by its E-3 Sentry crews.
  • Trackers noted a pass over Anchorage and Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson with no disruptions reported and the sleigh running on schedule.
  • Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 Hornets escorted the sleigh through Canadian airspace, with Transport Canada highlighting flight clearance.
  • The Federal Aviation Administration also monitored Santa’s route, and NORAD’s tally cited nearly 4.5 billion gifts delivered so far.
  • NORAD said its call center logged more than 64,000 inquiries overnight, with hundreds of thousands of calls and millions of website visits typically recorded each year.