The Department of Redundancy Department has issued a warning to Flight Command about the schedule for the development of Santa’s Sleigh for this year. In a highly public and unusual announcement the department claimed the schedule for rolling out Santa’s new sleigh was insufficient and would lead to problems.

The Department of Redundancy Department was formed after the near disaster of Christmas 2020. An inventory snafu was only discovered late on Christmas Eve that nearly derailed Santa’s delivery plans. The Department of Redundancy Department was so named because it was charged with “double checking” all production plans well in advance to ensure a similar mistake never happened again.

Their ongoing review of all North Pole systems – which would include Research and Development and the roll out of Santa’s sleigh every year – is supposed to be independent of every other department. In other words, there is nothing to stop or influence their research, conclusions or public opinions.

Today’s report from the Department of Redundancy Department slams the plans for Santa’s sleigh this year. Those plans, long publicized on this website and other Official North Pole websites, have indicated that last year’s sleigh design would be used for this year’s sleigh. Last year’s sleigh was one of the most thoroughly tested sleighs in history and resulted in a record-breaking flight for Santa last Christmas.

The report today suggests that not enough time, effort or testing is planned for this year’s sleigh. They claim their review of this year’s plans show that test flights will not be scheduled until after September 1st. They say that is not enough time to properly evaluate this year’s build of the sleigh and how it might fly with Santa this Christmas.

It recommends moving up the test flight schedule.

North Pole Flight Command has not yet reacted to the recommendations of the Department of Redundancy Department. Neither has Santa.

The largest class of sleigh traffic controllers ever assembled is meeting this week and next at North Pole Flight Command. More than 700 elves are now in training to become sleigh traffic controllers.

Why the big need for more sleigh traffic controllers?

Rumors in recent weeks of larger regional tracking centers that are established before Santa takes flight every year is mentioned as the most common reason for the need. But we have also heard that ships of the North Pole Navy will expanding their tracking capabilities, too.

Classroom-training includes simulators and lectures that will last for at least the next three months. Once that portion of the training is complete new sleigh traffic controllers will be stationed in various parts of the world to use the test-flight season in real-time training.

North Pole Flight Command is not saying why this large number of new sleigh traffic controllers are needed at this time. Last year’s flight by Santa’s sleigh was nearly flawless and there was no need expressed for more sleigh traffic assets at that time.

Clearly, something has changed – or is about to.