Gander International Airport became an unexpected refuge for thousands of passengers after the September 11 attacks, as aircraft diverted from US airspace began arriving in the remote Newfoundland town.
Today, the airport handles only around five scheduled flights a day. But on 11 September 2001, its runways were suddenly filled with wide-bodied jets as part of Canada’s Operation Yellow Ribbon.
In all, 38 international flights were directed to Gander, carrying more than 6,600 passengers and crew. The town, whose population was then about 10,000, was required to accommodate a number of visitors equivalent to roughly two-thirds of its own population.
Gander’s response to the September 11 diversions
The aircraft continued arriving as the scale of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington became clear. With US airspace closed, passengers were left unable to continue their journeys and many had little information about when they would be able to leave.
Local authorities, emergency services, military personnel and residents worked together to find accommodation, food and transport. Schools, churches, community buildings and other public spaces were converted into temporary shelters, while residents opened their homes to strangers.
Personnel from 9 Wing Gander provided logistical and humanitarian support, helping to move passengers from the airport and organise supplies during the unprecedented influx.
For many of those on board, the stay lasted several days rather than a few hours. Prescriptions were obtained, telephone calls arranged and meals provided as the stranded travellers tried to contact relatives and understand what had happened.
The planes began leaving once restrictions on North American air travel were eased. By then, the small airport and the people of Gander had become associated with an extraordinary display of practical help during one of the darkest moments in recent history.
The events later inspired the musical Come From Away, which retold the story of the passengers and the Newfoundland communities that took them in. But for those who arrived on 11 September 2001, Gander was first and foremost the place where the planes came down — and where ordinary people offered shelter when the world beyond the airport had changed.
