“Official” Santa Claus flight to Japan bypasses Russia, uses Georgian airspace
The flight’s trip to Tokyo Narita Airport had taken three more hours than the usual itinerary for the annual connection bringing Santa from Finland to the Japanese capital. Photo: Finnair
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An “official” Santa Claus flight from Finland to Japan on Friday bypassed Russia due to restrictions on the country’s airspace, instead using South Caucasus, including Georgia, for the flight tasked with bringing festive cheer in the run-up to the Christmas season.
Simple Flying said the flight’s trip to Tokyo Narita Airport had taken three more hours than the usual itinerary for the annual connection bringing Santa from Finland to the Japanese capital.
Screenshot from Flightradar24.com
Flights of Finnair, the largest carrier of Finland, are customarily used as a "modern sleigh" for Santa on the journey.
As Christmas is getting closer, Santa Claus is getting ready to travel the world to meet children! This year, Santa will fly with Finnair, the official airline of Santa Claus, to visit Tokyo during 2–6 December, Singapore during 8–11 December and Mumbai during 15–18 December. pic.twitter.com/6iHudQfkNa
— Finnair (@Finnair) December 1, 2022
The company claims the association due to its status for Finland, with Santa’s origins in the country’s Lapland region.