Santa Claus has made it to the outback and he's replaced his sleigh for a plane.

The big man in red was spotted flying the world's longest mail route from Port Augusta in South Australia to Glengyle Station, north of Birdsville, in south-west Queensland.

Jodie Keogh from Innamincka in South Australia said his appearance was a welcome surprise for families who relied on the once-a-week mail service.

"It was really exciting to see Santa actually flying the plane, I know how much it meant to the kids," said Ms Keogh.

"We do get to town, but it's really hard to schedule in a time to see Santa, so to have him come all the way to the outback is really special.

"It kind of proves to the kids that he does come out this far and that they're not going to miss out on seeing him when Christmas rolls around."

Ken Skelly says flying to remote communities is a labour of love. ( Supplied: Jodie Keogh )

More than just Christmas presents

Ms Keogh said having the mail service was a huge part of the festive season and day-to-day life when living in such a remote community.

"The closest town is about 400 kilometres from us and it's not a large centre by any means," she explained.

Jodie Keogh says the mail service is important to her and and her family. ( Supplied: Jodie Keogh )

"So, when we do make the nearly eight-hour round trip we have limited time to get what we need so having the mail service helps us especially over Christmas."

The mail service has been running for more than two decades and was essential for those who did not want to leave the land, said Ms Keogh.

"It gives us access to send our school work, get books from the library and with online shopping we can get everything we can get in the city out to our properties," she said.

"Your kids just grow up in a completely different world in the bush, your neighbours might be 50 kilometres away and you might not see them for two months but when you get together it's great.

"The bush really gets in your veins."

The sandhills outside Birdsville. ( Supplied: Birdsville Races )

Important service for rural communities

Hartwig Air chief pilot Ken Skelly, or 'Santa', said getting out to these remote communities was an important part of the festive season.

"Some of these kids, if they don't get to the city for the holiday period, this may be the only interaction they have with Santa Claus," he said.

"At Innamincka I got out of the plane and the first thing that one of the little fellas did was come up and give me a hug. It's quite a warming thing."

Mr Skelly said it was a labour of love making the deliveries, especially with temperatures leading up to Christmas hitting close to 50 in parts of the mail route.

"It's been particularly warm recently and unfortunately the plane is not air conditioned, so it was quite a sweaty day in the suit, but it is a nice treat to see the kids smiling faces," he said.

Innamincka is more than 1,000 kilometres from Adelaide, along the unsealed Strzelecki Track. ( ABC News: Gary-Jon Lysaght )

Mr Skelly said the visit would be the last delivery for the year.

"It was the last one for the year we're not doing the post-Christmas one this year just because of the way the public holidays fall so this'll be the last run for the year and Santa came along," he said.

"It wasn't a particularly large run by any means, but we had about 280 kilos all up, the most I've ever had to deliver was 431 kilos so that was quite a big day."

Birdsville Hotel assistant manager Darren Collins said the mail service could make or break Christmas for families living remotely.

"The mail run is weekly so it's quite important for the outback communities when trying to keep in touch and get essential mail or to send mail out," he said.