When US airspace shut on 11 September 2001, 38 planes were diverted to Gander International Airport, a remote stop on the Canadian island of Newfoundland. Around 6,600 passengers and crew suddenly landed in a town of roughly 10,000 people — and the locals simply got on with looking after them. Twenty-five years later, travellers are still making the trip to hear the story firsthand.
The logistics alone were remarkable. Striking bus drivers went back to work to shuttle the so-called "plane people" off the tarmac. The town's ice rink became a giant fridge stacked with donated food. Schools and community halls filled with camp beds, while many families — like Derm and Dianne Flynn — took strangers into their homes. The Flynns each offered a bed without telling the other, ending up with six guests and three bedrooms. Strangers arrived exhausted and confused; by the time the skies reopened five days later, many had left as lifelong friends. One couple, Nick and Diane Marson, met that week and later married.
What travellers find in Gander today goes well beyond the 9/11 story. The airport itself is a time capsule: its 1959 International Lounge, all terrazzo floors and mid-century furniture, dates from an era when Gander was the world's largest airport and the refuelling "Crossroads of the World". Elvis and Marilyn Monroe both passed through. Guide-led visits cover the 9/11 days too, including the North Atlantic Aviation Museum with its letters of thanks, and the steel beam from the World Trade Center outside City Hall.
The 2017 Broadway musical Come From Away put the town's hospitality in front of a global audience, and it now runs as a professional production at the Joseph R Smallwood Arts and Culture Centre in Gander itself. The Flynns began hosting "Meet The Flynns" in 2017 — a bookable visit to their home for tea, photos from those five days and stories told from the very couch where their guests once slept. Demand outgrew their expectations fast, with people booking months ahead.
For travellers, Gander works as both a pilgrimage and a proper Newfoundland trip. The town sits amid forest-fringed lakes and rivers, and the locals' instinct to help runs deep — centuries of fishing communities on this rugged coastline survived by sharing whatever they had. Come for the story, stay for the accordions, the traditional music and the famously warm welcome. Book Come From Away tickets and the Flynn visit in advance if this is your reason for visiting.
Story credit: Wanderlust