Life at MAN – Santa Claus (Sleigh Pilot)

Each year, millions of people jet off on festive breaks from Manchester Airport to one of its 200-plus destinations – whether that’s a trip to Lapland, a Christmas market, a ski holiday, or a visit to friends and relatives.

Airport colleagues do all they can to help passengers and people in our neighbouring communities get into the festive spirit, through schemes like gift donations, yuletide choirs, and a partnership with the charity Childflight. But they can’t do all of this alone.

In this festive edition of our monthly Life at MAN Q&A, we speak to a very special guest – a long-serving partner of the airport, who has been working with our colleagues to spread Christmas cheer for more than eight decades.

He talks us through how he juggles these important responsibilities with a full-time job overseeing a toy factory and still makes time for a round-the-world trip once a year.

How long have you been working at the airport and what does your job involve?

I’ve been here since the very beginning, although in truth I am something of a seasonal worker.

At the airport, as in my day job, I have a wide range of responsibilities, but all of them have the same purpose – bringing a bit of joy to people at the most wonderful time of the year.

What skills are needed for the role?

You’ve got to have good organisational skills, and good navigational skills, as there’s a lot of ground to cover in a short space of time. Those of you who follow me on Flightradar each year will know it’s no mean feat.

I’m lucky to be supported by a very good team though, both at the toy factory I run in Lapland, and here at Manchester Airport, where airport colleagues gather up children’s letters and hand out gifts on my behalf. Being a team player who looks out for others is a fantastic quality to have, and it’s also a great way of keeping yourself off my naughty list.

You’ve also got to be adaptable – no-one has a chimney anymore.

What do you enjoy the most about working at the airport?

It’s fantastic to work with such a warm and friendly team who all share my passion for bringing a smile to people’s faces, along with my love of travel.

It’s lovely to get the chance to meet so many of you in person too as you travel through the terminal, and to help make amazing Christmas memories for so many young people.

You collaborate with airport colleagues to spread Christmas cheer – what have you got planned this year?

Well, nearly 20,000 of you will be flying over to Lapland to visit me, so that will keep me busy – but I understand not everyone is able to get to Lapland and I’m also looking forward to coming to Manchester and visiting you.

I’ll be paying a few visits to the airport this year, on Thursdays and Fridays between now and Christmas, to check up on the elves who are working in my Grotto in the T1 Little Flyers Zone. Do pop in and say hello if you’re passing through – it’s a fun, interactive play space that is totally free for passengers to use. If you miss me, though, leave a letter for me in the ‘Letters to Santa’ post box. The elves will send it on to me, and I will write back to you.

I’m also teaming up with airport colleagues and Childflight again this year to surprise some very special young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, who will be getting on an aeroplane for the first time, in search of me! This is a great initiative that has been running for over a decade now and has created lifelong memories for over 1,000 children. I visit the children mid-flight, and parking my sleigh on top of a moving plane is a real test of my piloting abilities, which helps me blow off the cobwebs before Christmas Eve.

Do also look out for me at the Panto at Wythenshawe Forum, where I’ll be greeting young people from local schools and community groups who the airport have donated tickets to.

Colleagues from the airport have been nearly as busy as my elves this year in creating a workshop of their own. They’re gathering thousands of pounds worth of gifts through their Giftmas campaign, which are being donated for distribution at community centres, community cafes, care homes, sheltered housing and schools. They are aiming to make sure no child in the airport’s neighbouring communities wakes up without a present to unwrap this Christmas.

Do you have any advice for passengers travelling over Christmas?

Make sure you leave plenty of time for your journey to the airport, as the road and rail networks aren’t as resilient to the wintry weather as Dasher, Dancer, Rudolph and co.

Keep an eye on flight updates from your airline, and also keep in mind that airport security rules apply just as much at this time of year as any other time. Make sure you’re not packing items with more than 100ml of liquid in your hand luggage, like large snow globes or cartons of egg nog.

Please also avoid putting any wrapped presents in your hand luggage. If security colleagues can’t see what’s inside, they might need to unwrap them, and they don’t want to be Grinchy this Christmas!

Which destination that we serve from Manchester do you most want to visit?

Lots of people continue to visit me in Lapland into January, but after the Christmas season is over, I am always desperate to escape my toy factory and take a break in the sunshine. By February I’ll be on the beach in Barbados, getting my annual dose of Vitamin D.

What do you like to do when you’re not at work?

As you may be aware, I have nine pet reindeer who take up a lot of my time all year round, and so does working on blueprints for new toys – I’ve already got big plans for 2025. Aside from that, I unwind by listening to the Arctic Monkeys, Snow Patrol, and Michael Buble.