When the World Landed in Gander

On September 11, 2001, 38 planes landed in Gander, Newfoundland. The town had about 10,000 residents. For a few days, it housed more than 6,500 travellers.

That day, after the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in the United States, including 24 Canadians, U.S. airspace was closed.

More than 200 planes were diverted to Canada: this was Operation Yellow Ribbon. According to Transport Canada, more than 33,000 people were grounded at Canadian airports, from Halifax to Vancouver.

In Gander, gyms, churches, community centres and private homes opened their doors. Pharmacies filled prescriptions for free.

Better still: striking school bus drivers left their picket line to drive passengers where they needed to go. These strangers were called "come from aways," the local expression for people from elsewhere.

Gratitude made its way. The passengers of Delta Flight 15 had been welcomed in Lewisporte. On board that flight, a traveller proposed over the intercom to create a scholarship for local youth.

Before landing in Atlanta, $15,000 had been pledged. By 2021, the fund had passed one million dollars and had supported 341 students at Lewisporte's high school.

Kindness doesn't stop with the person who receives it. It travels, even aboard a plane.

This September 11, twenty-five years later, Gander held a memorial ceremony. Former prime minister Jean Chrétien was there, along with the U.S. ambassador, who came to say thank you. The mayor of Gander summed it up:

The hospitality offered for a few days to strangers is one we can also offer to those who arrive to stay.