Remembering 9/11: When Terror Struck America, Canada Opened Its Skies and Its Doors

Twenty-five years after the attacks on New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, Canadians remember the victims—and the extraordinary national response that gave tens of thousands of stranded travellers shelter, food and comfort.

THUNDER BAY — REMEMBRANCE — September 11, 2026 — Twenty-five years ago, a clear Tuesday morning became one of the darkest days in modern history.

On September 11, 2001, 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four passenger aircraft in the United States. Two were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. A third struck the Pentagon outside Washington, D.C. The fourth, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers and crew fought back against the hijackers.

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum records 2,977 people killed in the attacks, not including the hijackers. The dead came from more than 90 countries. Twenty-four were Canadian.

For the families of those victims, the anniversary is not simply a chapter in history. It is the memory of a person who never came home.

A morning that changed the world

At 8:46 a.m. Eastern Time, American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center. At 9:03 a.m., United Airlines Flight 175 hit the South Tower.

The second impact removed any doubt that the United States was under attack.

At 9:37 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon. A short time later, Flight 93 crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Telephone calls had allowed people aboard that aircraft to learn what had happened in New York and Washington. Passengers and crew then attempted to retake the aircraft.

All 40 passengers and crew members were killed, but the hijackers did not reach their intended target. Their courage is honoured at the Flight 93 National Memorial.

Flight 93 was not shot down. Investigators concluded that it crashed after the passengers’ revolt forced the hijackers to abandon their plan and drive the aircraft into the ground.

Canada moved quickly as American airspace closed

The attacks created an immediate problem in the skies. Hundreds of commercial aircraft were already flying toward North America, many carrying passengers who had no idea what was happening below.

Transport Canada activated its emergency situation centre at 9:21 a.m.—18 minutes after the second tower was struck. When the United States closed its airspace, Canada launched Operation Yellow Ribbon, coordinating with NAV CANADA, airports, police, the military, customs and immigration officials.

Canada halted most departing flights while allowing incoming transatlantic and transpacific aircraft that could not safely turn back to land at Canadian airports.

According to Transport Canada’s account of Operation Yellow Ribbon, 224 diverted flights carrying more than 33,000 passengers landed in Canada. Other counts vary slightly depending on how flights, passengers and crew were recorded, but the scale of the operation is beyond dispute.

It was an aviation and security challenge unlike anything Canada had faced. Officials had to find runways and parking space for large aircraft, identify any possible threat, search planes, process travellers through customs and immigration, and keep tens of thousands of people safe while the United States remained closed to commercial traffic.

Canadian personnel serving in the binational North American Aerospace Defense Command were also part of the continental response. Additional Canadian fighter aircraft were assigned to NORAD duties, while Canadian Armed Forces personnel helped move supplies and support stranded travellers.

Gander became the symbol of Canada’s response

No community came to represent Operation Yellow Ribbon more strongly than Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Gander International Airport received 38 aircraft carrying about 6,600 passengers and crew—an enormous influx for a town of roughly 10,000 people. Schools, churches, service clubs and community buildings became temporary shelters.

Residents brought bedding, clothing, toiletries and home-cooked meals. Bus drivers transported travellers. Pharmacists helped people obtain needed medication. Residents opened their homes so strangers could shower, rest or make telephone calls to worried families.

The response spread beyond Gander to nearby communities, including Lewisporte, Appleton, Glenwood, Norris Arm and Gambo. What began as an emergency operation became a deeply human act of welcome.

The Associated Press’s 25th-anniversary account describes schools, fire stations and church halls being turned into shelters while residents supplied food, blankets and other necessities.

That story later reached millions through books, documentaries and the musical Come From Away. Its lasting power comes from something simple: ordinary people saw strangers in distress and helped them.

A response that stretched across Canada

Gander’s story is the best known, but Operation Yellow Ribbon was national in scope.

Aircraft landed at civilian and military airports from Newfoundland and Labrador to British Columbia, with diverted flights also received in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, Yukon and the Northwest Territories.

Halifax received the largest number of diverted aircraft, while Vancouver handled thousands of passengers arriving from across the Pacific. Airports at St. John’s, Moncton, Goose Bay, Winnipeg, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Hamilton, Whitehorse and Yellowknife were also involved.

At each stop, the response required more than air-traffic controllers and airport crews. RCMP officers and local police secured aircraft and terminals. Customs and immigration officers processed unexpected arrivals. Canadian Armed Forces units supplied cots, blankets, transportation and personnel. Municipal workers, health-care providers, volunteers and local businesses found ways to feed and house people who had been stranded without warning.

Canada’s contribution was not a single dramatic act. It was thousands of practical decisions made quickly and calmly by people who understood that frightened travellers needed both security and compassion.

Canadians were also among the dead

Canada’s role as a place of refuge should never overshadow the country’s own losses.

Twenty-four Canadians died in the attacks, among the nearly 3,000 victims. They were parents, spouses, children, colleagues and friends. Some lived in Canada; others had built lives and careers in the United States.

The attacks also left lasting physical and psychological wounds. First responders, recovery workers, survivors and residents near the World Trade Center have continued to face illnesses linked to toxic exposure. Families still live with grief that did not end when the television coverage faded.

The meaning of Canada’s response

September 11 changed aviation security, foreign policy and daily life across North America. Canada strengthened border and transportation security, increased its commitment to continental defence and later sent military personnel to Afghanistan. More than 40,000 Canadians served in that mission between 2001 and 2014, according to Veterans Affairs Canada.

Yet Canada’s most enduring contribution on the day of the attacks may be the one that required no weapon: it made room.

Runways made room for aircraft. Schools and community halls made room for beds. Kitchens made room for more meals. Families made room in their homes. In a moment shaped by terror and uncertainty, Canadians answered with order, generosity and trust.

That response did not undo the horror in New York, at the Pentagon or in Pennsylvania. It did, however, show what neighbours can do when the world suddenly becomes dangerous.

On this 25th anniversary, we remember the 2,977 lives taken, including 24 Canadians. We remember the courage of passengers and crew aboard Flight 93, the first responders who ran toward danger, and the many people who carried the burden of rescue and recovery.

We should also remember the Canadian air-traffic controllers, military personnel, police officers, airport workers, public servants and volunteers who answered the crisis with quiet competence—and the communities that welcomed strangers as friends.

That is Canada’s 9/11 story: when terror closed the skies, Canada opened its doors.