When the U.S. closed its airspace soon after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, 238 planes were diverted to Canadian airports. Seventy-five of those were sent to Newfoundland and Labrador. Gander, with its vast runways, took in 38, according to data from NAV Canada.

On September 11, 2001, following the closure of North American airspace through Operation Yellow Ribbon, the town of Gander, Newfoundland in Canada received the highest concentration of diverted international aircraft relative to its size. A total of 38 planes carrying 6,579 passengers and crew (nearly doubling the town's population) landed at Gander International Airport. Other major Canadian diversion hubs included Halifax (47 planes), Vancouver (34 planes), and St. John's (21 planes). Because Canada was the primary landing site for transatlantic flights that could not return to Europe, thousands of travelers were "stranded" in these small communities for several days. The extraordinary hospitality of the people of Gander, who opened their schools, community centers, and homes to the "come from aways," became a global symbol of kindness and was later immortalized in the hit Broadway musical Come From Away.