On September 11, 2001, when United States airspace closed because of the terrorist attacks, Gander International Airport played host to 38 airliners, totalling 6,700 evacuees from Olympic Airways, Air France, Lufthansa, British Airways, Alitalia and more. It was part of Operation Yellow Ribbon

To honour the people of Gander and Halifax for their support during the operation, Lufthansa named a new Airbus A340-300 “Gander/Halifax” in  2002.

Gander International Airport sits in the most easterly part of North America. It was an important refuelling stop for transatlantic flights during World War II.

Photos: Mark Plummer, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0; 103rd Rescue Unit (Canadian Forces), Fair use