After safely landing our trailer into our designated “runway,”we had just one day to explore Gander. Guidebooks insisted we visit the International Departure Lounge at Gander International Airport. We thought that was a quirky suggestion, but surprisingly, it took up a good part of our morning. The historic lounge serves as a museum of sorts. Storyboards (some photographed below) throughout an upstairs loft lead visitors on a journey through the years.
As World War II broke out, the military arrived at what is now the Gander International Airport. The facility would play an important role as a staging area to ferry aircraft across the Atlantic.
After the war, commercial air travel picked up speed the airport became the prime refueling stop for transatlantic flights. As air travel became more commonplace, the community of Gander realized an opportunity to create a memorable impression for first-time Canadian visitors.
Queen Elizabeth II arrived in 1959 to open the new International Departure Lounge, designed to reflect the modern, international, jet setting lifestyle.
It wasn’t long before non-stop jumbo jets began to cross the Atlantic, bypassing Gander altogether and reducing air traffic. But then, on September 11, 2001, history was made again.
On that September 11th, 38 passenger planes with more than 6,500 passengers and crew were diverted to Gander and grounded pending further instructions . At the time, Gander had a population of just over 11,000 people.
For five days the people of Gander rallied to house and feed their unexpected guests. It’s a fascinating story. If you’d like read more about it, The Day The World Came To Town by Jim Defede offers a personal look through the eyes of many who were there.
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