The Yorkshire Air Museum in Elvington near York is getting ready for a very special visitor in its main hangar. Santa Airlines is set to fly in once again, marking its fourth festive season at the museum. The event is on December 13th. This year’s Christmas grotto will be set inside the museum’s historic Dakota paratrooper aircraft, which will open its doors to visitors across five days in December. Children will begin their journey in the museum’s makeshift “departure lounge,” where cabin-crew-elves will lead craft activities and holiday fun. From there, families will head into the hangar and board the WWII-era Dakota, where Santa will be waiting for his young passengers.
Museum spokesperson and Santa Support Officer, Jerry Ibbotson, said, “Santa Airlines has proven to be so popular since we started it in 2022 that we asked Santa if he’d come back and visit us again. We’re delighted he said yes, and we are looking forward to welcoming families to climb aboard from Saturday, December 13th. There can’t be many places where you can meet the big man himself inside an aircraft like our Dakota. Over the last few years, Santa Airlines has grown and grown in popularity.”
Alongside Santa Airlines, the museum will share stories of wartime Christmases in its cinema, and the Christmas Wishing Tree will return to the hangar. Visitors will also have plenty of food and drinks, including Christmas lunches, available in the café. Santa Airlines will operate on December 13, 14, 20, 21, and 22. Advance booking is recommended through the museum’s website. For more information and to support the Yorkshire Air Museum, visit www.yorkshireairmuseum.org.
