The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) makes the decision to shut down its airspace, forcing over 4,000 planes to land at the nearest airport. Inbound flights from Europe are diverted to Canada.

Gander International Airport is told 18 planes will be flying into the airport.

Passengers are not allowed to leave the plane.

13 additional planes land at Gander International Airport.

A total of 38 planes have landed in Gander, carrying 6,579 passengers and crew.

For a town like Gander with a population of 10,000 people, this was an extraordinary challenge to take on.

Passengers are allowed to leave the plane.

It’s been over 5 hours since they’ve first landed and have stayed inside the plane on Gander’s runway.

The “Come From Aways” are driven to Salvation Army centers, churches, schools, and community centers in Gander and in neighboring towns.

Planes begin to be cleared for takeoff and continue throughout the day.

All remaining “Come From Aways” arrive at Gander International Airport for takeoff.

The final diverted plane takes off.