'What's that red light?': Pilots share skies with Santa on Christmas Eve - 9news.com.au

The presents have been bought, the food prepared, the churches dusted and polished, and now on Christmas Eve, it's a waiting game.

Eyes are peeled to the skies for a glimpse of the man in the red suit with the long white beard.

For pilots, working over the Christmas season is a regular part of the job, especially for Virgin Australia's 737 pilot Rod Edney.

As crowds bid Santa farewell from his North Pole workshop, Santa's own team of air traffic control elves are passing the word around the world that the man in red is on his way. (9news)

"Christmas Eve is a great time to go flying as you never know, you might just see the big man himself out there,” Mr Edney told 9News.

"Anyone would be excited about seeing Santa - it doesn't matter how old you are.”

Santa’s flight path is a topic of conversation on this night of the year among the professionals that share the air with him.

Santa’s flight path is a topic of conversation on this night of the year among the professionals that share the air with him. (9news)

"It's something we pilots talk about but very few of us have seen it,” Mr Edney said.

And understandably so, given Santa's tight relationship with those who control the skies - the air traffic controllers of Airservices Australia.

"Airservices Australia always ensures that Santa has a clear airspace,” northern operations manager Katie Wilkinson said.

"Once he's left the North Pole we will prioritise his flight path all the way past the Pacific Islands, through New Zealand, down to the east coast of Australia and then it'll zig-zag across Australia over to the west coast before they visit our neighbours.

"Our air traffic controllers ensure that we've got the flightpath into the system so we know he can get through and deliver his presents uninterrupted.”

Last Christmas, Mr Edney said he was able to get an extremely rare glimpse of Santa and he managed to record it. (9news)

Last Christmas, Mr Edney said he was able to get an extremely rare glimpse of Santa and he managed to record it.

"I said to my co-pilot ‘what's that red light?’” he said.

"I was about to call it in to air traffic control when we both realised it was actually the big red man.

"I whipped out my phone because I wanted to show the kids and there he was as we know him in the business sleigh rider."

As crowds bid Santa farewell from his North Pole workshop, Santa's own team of air traffic control elves are passing the word around the world that the man in red is on his way.