The Canadian Response to 911

Crises often tend to bring out the best in people. The response in Canada to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 is a case in point.


200 or so aircraft, many of which were of U.S. registry, were heading for the continental U.S. All were diverted to alternate airports in Eastern Canada. Some were too heavy to land and had to dump fuel, before being routed to the nearest available airport. Simultaneously, over the North Pacific, commercial carriers en route from Asia to North America were being diverted to airports in Western Canada, primarily Vancouver.

NAV CANADA faced an enormous task of draining the skies under Canadian control, handling 239 diverted aircraft from overseas as well as those destined for the U.S. and Canada. All landed safely in Canada without incident. Of these, 38 went to Gander, 1 to Deer Lake, 21 to St. John’s, 8 to Stephenville, 7 to Goose Bay, 47 to Halifax, 10 to Moncton, 10 to Mirabel, 7 to Dorval, 14 to Toronto, 4 to Hamilton, 15 to Winnipeg, 6 to Edmonton, 13 to Calgary, 1 to Yellowknife, 3 to Whitehorse and 34 to Vancouver. Gander received 6,600 diverted passengers; Vancouver received about 8,500. The last aircraft to land was from the Pacific. By about 6:00 PM EDT, all planes had landed safely.

Accommodating more than 33,000 passengers and aircrew was a huge challenge for the Canadian communities, who welcomed the large number of passengers and accommodated them in their homes and public facilities. Many lasting friendship were developed during the days that these thousands of stranded passengers were welcomed into Canadaian homes.

About 1% of the victims of 911 were Canadian or had Canadian roots. We honoured them and their memory for caring for others in need.



By September 16th all diverted planes had departed with their passengers for their intended destinations.