Over 2,000 lucky children and their parents will get to meet Santa 15,000 feet above sea level as Shannon Airport launches its 2018 Santa Flights adventure.
Short of Christmas Eve itself, Santa’s busiest day in the run up to 25th December is set again for Shannon Airport as the big man jets in for his sixth successive annual Santa Flights, one of Ireland’s best loved and unique Santa experiences.
In what has become the most sought after Christmas event for children across the country, Santa will take to the skies with a troupe of elves on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd December. The excitement will be palpable and spirits will be soaring as the delight fills the airport’s terminal building and skies above for a very special treat for children.
The event will be supported by teams of staff volunteers from Shannon Airport. The build-up will take off from the minute the very special passengers enter the airport where Mrs Claus herself and her team of helpers will be manning the airport check-in desks.
Tickets for this prized event will be allocated through a lottery system. A €1 per seat lottery application fee will apply to enter. A flat €1.50 booking fee will also apply. All profits raised from the event will go to Shannon Group’s designated charities for 2018, the Share a Dream Foundation and the Clare Crusaders.
The lottery system went live on Wednesday 7th November with details on how to enter the lottery available on the Shannon Airport Facebook page, the airport’s twitter account and on its website www.shannonairport.ie. The lottery will close on Tuesday 13th November and the winners will be notified by text soon after.
A packed programme of entertainment is being laid on as children will also be treated to a range of Christmas activities – dancing elves, games and other treats – in the transit lounge to help them while away the final minutes before boarding.
Bookings are confined to a maximum of six but with the airport determined to ensure as many children as possible avail of the very special Christmas treat, a maximum of two adults will be allowed with any group of six. No child will be allowed on their own without an adult.
Andrew Murphy, Managing Director, Shannon Airport, said: “Our Santa Flights are a really lovely, heart-warming event and from our perspective it is great to be able to spread a bit of Christmas cheer and put smiles on so many children’s faces.
“Organising the event takes huge logistics, from ensuring that the children and their families have plenty of fun activities to keep them entertained while they await their flight, to ensuring that all flights run smoothly and that Santa makes his mid-air transfer from his sleigh to the airplane safely, but it’s definitely worth it. None of it would be possible without our staff who go over and above each year to ensure that everything runs smoothly.”
Matthew Thomas, Chief Executive, Shannon Group, added: “The Santa Flights are very important to us. Not only do they add to the excitement and magic of Christmas for our younger customers, but they are also an integral part of our community fund raising efforts for local charities. Since the establishment of Shannon Group in 2014, I am proud to say that our staff have raised over €230,000 for a range of worthy charities. It is our small way of giving back and saying thank you to our loyal community of supporters.”
