Remembering 9/11: When Gander provided safe haven in a time of crisis

September 6, 2026 / 10:19 AM EDT / CBS News

The small Canadian town of Gander isn't near much. Located on the island of Newfoundland, Gander is home to around 12,000 residents. Even fewer people lived here on September 11, 2001, when Gander's far northeast positioning made it an ideal landing spot for grounded flights.

"Once you leave Europe in the morning, once you get halfways across, the nearest airport is Gander," said Claude Elliott, who was mayor of Gander on 9/11. By the end of that day, 38 planes had landed at Gander's airport, something for which there was no contingency plan. "None," Elliott said. "We have an emergency plan, every municipality has it. But there's nothing in that plan to tell you what to do with 7,000 people if they decide to drop in for four or five days."

Once it was clear that the planes wouldn't be taking off anytime soon, Gander had to scramble to figure out what to do with its influx of temporary visitors from all around the world. Elliott declared a state of emergency. Calls went out for supplies. Churches and schools became shelters. Even the local hockey rink was put to use.

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/