Gander’s airport had long served as a trans‑Atlantic stop‑over, but few could have imagined the scale of the humanitarian effort that would follow. Mayor Percy Farwell recalled that the residents were “responding to people that were in distress and needed a lot of life’s necessities like food and shelter…mostly they needed love and compassion because it was a very distressing time.”

The extraordinary generosity captured worldwide attention and later inspired the stage musical Come From Away. The production, which dramatizes the four‑day stay of the stranded passengers, has become a major hit on both Broadway and the West End, turning Gander’s real‑life story into a celebrated piece of popular culture.

Every September, Sue Riccardelli and her partner Maureen Murray – two of the original stranded passengers – fly a large flag that blends a maple leaf with the American stars and stripes outside their New Jersey home, a gesture that honors the people of Gander. They have also taken the flag to performances of Come From Away as a symbol of solidarity.

Earlier this week, Historica Canada unveiled a new Heritage Minute that spotlights Gander’s humanitarian response, and a special celebration was held at Gander International Airport ahead of a scheduled visit by U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra on Sept. 11.