It may have been over 20 years ago that people in America woke up to see terrorists flying aircraft into the twin towers. While that was such a horrific event, the kindness shown by the people of Gander, Canada, will never be forgotten. Before we get into what makes the people of Gander so special, we need first to look at the town and see why it is so strategically important.

Located in the northeastern part of the island of Newfoundland, Gander has a population of less than 12,000, yet has always played an important role when it comes to aviation. Because of its location between North America and Europe, Gander was selected as a refueling spot for early transatlantic flights. While today aircraft can make the journey without refueling, Gander remains a preferred emergency landing point for planes with onboard medical or security issues.

The FAA closed American airspace to all aircraft

On September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington by crashing passenger planes into the buildings. While not knowing if more attacks were yet to come, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) closed American airspace to all aircraft. This meant that planes already on route to the United States would have to find an alternative place to land.

In the case of planes inbound from Europe, Canada was the most convenient at the time of the closure. With its facilities and location close to North Atlantic flight paths Gander International Airport (YQX) was an obvious choice. By the time the morning was over, and with no more flights en route to the United States, the tiny Canadian town had welcomed 38 aircraft containing 6,122 passengers and 473 crew.

Passengers were stuck on the planes for more than 24 hours

Surprisingly quick to mobilize all of its resources, Gander quickly prepared places for the stranded people to stay. Cots were set up in school gymnasiums and social centers, while all hotel rooms in town were requisitioned for airline crew members. With news of the attacks still unfolding, none of the passengers could disembark the aircraft, stranding them on the planes for more than 24 hours.

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When they were finally allowed to get off the aircraft, the townsfolk had already agreed to open their doors to provide beds, showers, and meals for their unexpected guests. Due to security fears, all the baggage remained on the planes leaving many passengers without their medications. Realizing this pharmacy's in town started making calls around the world so that people could get their prescriptions filled.

Knowing that people's pets were in the holds of many planes, resident Bonnie Harris convinced airport officials to have the animals transported to an empty hangar so that she and others in town could help feed and look after them. With so many new mouths to feed Ganders supermarkets, shelves were soon bare as the locals started cooking meals for their stranded guests. The outpouring of kindness from Gander residents only multiplied over the following days, with locals organizing events to keep their visitors occupied as they waited to be told when they could leave.

Gander stepped up when needed

A passenger on one of the planes was flying home to St. Louis from Paris with his wife and elderly father-in-law. Robert Steuber could not believe the town's kindness telling USA Today:

"That whole community is the poster child for how hospitality and just a sheer act of humanity should be because they had such a high level of open arms, and come in and welcome and here's my house. It just absolutely floored me."

Following the 9/11 attacks, the only other town in Canada that welcomed more passengers was Halifax in Nova Scotia. To honor the people of Gander and Halifax for their support, Lufthansa named a new Airbus A340-300 Gander/Halifax. It was the first-ever Lufthansa aircraft not to be named after a city in Germany.