09/08/2026
Canada is a beautiful country with amazing people! Thanks for being our friends when we needed you most!
And every other day too!
On September 11, 2001, when the United States closed its airspace, Canada stepped forward to help its closest neighbour.
As international flights were diverted away from the U.S., Canadian airports opened their runways. Gander became the most famous, but it was only part of a much bigger story.
Halifax, St. John’s, Moncton, Stephenville, Goose Bay and other communities welcomed diverted aircraft and thousands of unexpected passengers. Local residents brought food, blankets and clothing. Schools and community centres became shelters. Strangers offered rides, opened their homes and helped however they could.
Across Canada, roughly 33,000 passengers aboard more than 200 diverted flights were taken in during Operation Yellow Ribbon.
At a moment of enormous uncertainty for the United States, its neighbour to the north quietly answered with kindness.
Gander showed the world what one small town could do. But across Canada, the same spirit was unfolding again and again.
It became more than an aviation story. It was a powerful reminder of the friendship between Canada and the United States, and of what neighbours can mean to each other when it matters most.
