View source for Gander International Airport

{{Short description|Airport in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2018}}
{{Infobox airport
| name                = Gander International Airport
| image               = Gander International Airport logo 2024.png
| image2              = Gander_International_Airport_(satellite_view).jpg
| caption2            = 
| WMO                 = 71803
| IATA                = YQX
| ICAO                = CYQX
| type                = Public
| owner               = [[Transport Canada]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.tc.gc.ca/programs/Airports/Status/menu.htm |title=Airport Divestiture Status Report |access-date=March 30, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303224638/http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/programs/airports-status-menu-441.htm |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| operator            = Gander International Airport Authority
| city-served         = [[Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador]]
| timezone            = [[Newfoundland Time Zone|NST]]
| utc                 = [[UTC−03:30]]
| summer              = NDT
| utcs                = [[UTC−02:30]]
| elevation-f         = 496
| coordinates         = {{coord|48|56|13|N|54|34|05|W|region:CA-NL|notes=<ref name="CFS"/>|display=inline,title}}
| website             = {{URL|https://www.ganderairport.com/}}
| image_map           = Gander International Airport (CYQX) aero chart.png
| image_map_caption   = Transport Canada airport diagram
| pushpin_map         = Canada Newfoundland and Labrador
| pushpin_label       = CYQX
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in [[Newfoundland and Labrador]]
| r1-number           = 03/21
| r1-length-f         = 10,200
| r1-surface          = Asphalt
| r2-number           = 13/31
| r2-length-f         = 8,900
| r2-surface          = Asphalt
| stat-year           = 2024
| stat1-header        = Aircraft movements
| stat1-data          = 24,037
| stat2-header        = Total Passengers
| stat2-data          = 115,978
| footnotes           = Sources: [[Canada Flight Supplement]]<ref name="CFS">{{CFS}}</ref><br />[[Environment Canada]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://climate.weatheroffice.gc.ca/prods_servs/metstat1_e.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111201114641/http://climate.weatheroffice.gc.ca/prods_servs/metstat1_e.html |url-status=dead |title=Synoptic/Metstat Station Information |archive-date=December 1, 2011}}</ref><br />Movements from [[Statistics Canada]]<ref name="move">{{Cite web |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=2310029601 |title=Aircraft movements, by class of operation, airports with NAV CANADA services and other selected airports, monthly |date=December 21, 2022 |access-date=March 3, 2024 |publisher=Statistics Canada}}</ref> <br />Passengers from Gander Airport<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ganderairport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Annual-Report-2024.pdf|title=GIAA 2024 Annual Report |access-date=July 6, 2025 |website=ganderairport.com}}</ref>}}

'''Gander International Airport''' {{Airport codes|YQX|CYQX}} is located in [[Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador]], Canada, and is operated by the Gander International Airport Authority. [[Canadian Forces Base Gander]] shares the airfield but is a separate entity from the airport. The airport is sometimes referred to as the "Crossroads of the World",<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ingeniumcanada.org/channel/articles/stepping-inside-an-artifact-a-visit-to-gander-international-airport |title=Stepping inside an artifact: A visit to Gander International Airport &#124; The Channel |website=ingeniumcanada.org}}</ref> and is classified as an [[international airport]] by [[Transport Canada]].<ref>[https://tc.canada.ca/en/aviation/reference-centre/advisory-circulars/advisory-circular-ac-no-302-032#toc55 Advisory Circular (AC) No. 302-032 Subject: Designation of international airports in Canada]</ref>

==History==

===Early years and prominence===
Construction of the airport began in 1936 and it was opened in 1938, with its first landing on January 11 of that year, by Captain Douglas Fraser flying a [[de Havilland Fox Moth|Fox Moth]] of [[Imperial Airways]]. Within a few years it had four runways and was the largest airport in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/politics/gander-base.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150522070423/http://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/politics/gander-base.php |archive-date=May 22, 2015 |title=Gander Airport and World War II}}</ref> Its official name until 1949 was "Newfoundland Airport".

In 1940, the operation of the Newfoundland Airport was assigned by the [[Dominion of Newfoundland]] to the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] (RCAF) and it was renamed "RCAF Station Gander" in 1941. The airfield was heavily used by [[RAF Ferry Command]] and [[Air Transport Command]] for [[Atlantic Bridge (flight route)|transporting newly built aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean]] to the [[European Theatre]], as well as for staging operational [[Anti-submarine weapon#World War II|anti-submarine patrols]] dedicated to hunting [[U-boat]]s in the northwest Atlantic. Thousands of aircraft flown by the [[United States Army Air Corps]] through [[1941 in aviation#June|the changeover]] to the [[United States Army Air Forces]] and by the RCAF destined for the European Theatre travelled through Gander.
[[File:Lockheed Hudson - Gander - Royal Air Force Ferry Command, 1941-1943. C2141.jpg|thumb|right|[[Lockheed Hudson|Lockheed Hudson Mark IIIs]] prepared for their trans-Atlantic ferry flights at Gander in 1942]]

The [[Royal Canadian Navy]] (RCN) also established Naval Radio Station Gander at the airfield, using the station as a listening post to detect the transmissions and location of enemy submarines and warships.

Following the war, the RCAF handed operation of the airfield back to the Dominion of Newfoundland government in March 1946, although the RCN's radio station remained and the military role for the entire facility was upgraded through the [[Cold War]]. The Canadian federal government changed the name to "Gander Airport" after Newfoundland joined Canada in 1949. It opened the current passenger terminal in 1959.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.doopedia.co.kr/doopedia/master/master.do?_method=view&MAS_IDX=150330001496262 |title=갠더 국제공항 |website=www.doopedia.co.kr |language=ko |access-date=April 29, 2018}}</ref>

===Transatlantic refueling stop===

On 16 September 1945, the first transatlantic proving flight, a [[Pan Am]] [[DC-4]], departed Gander for [[Shannon Airport|Shannon]] in western Ireland.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/airport.htm |title=Shannon Airport |publisher=Clare County Library |access-date=July 10, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180720233111/http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/airport.htm |archive-date=July 20, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> On 24 October 1945, the first scheduled commercial flight, an [[American Overseas Airlines]] DC-4, passed through Gander.

Following Newfoundland's entry into [[Canadian Confederation|Confederation]], the government renamed the airport "Gander International Airport", and it came under the administration of Canada's federal [[Transport Canada|Department of Transport]]. Numerous improvements were made to the runways and terminals.

Gander is near the [[great circle]] route between eastern North America and Europe. Starting in the 1940s it was a refueling stop for [[transatlantic flight]]s and continued in this role through the early 1960s and in some cases into the 1990s. Carriers at Gander during this era included:

*[[Aeroflot]] operated [[Ilyushin Il-86]] widebody flights during the 1980s and early 1990s between Moscow and such long-range destinations as New York and Havana. Due to the IL-86's limited range of approximately {{cvt|2,000|mi}}, the flights would make refueling stops at both Shannon and Gander en route to the final destination.<ref>https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Products/9780738564685 {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728222107/https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Products/9780738564685 |date=July 28, 2017 }}, Stoff, Joshua, "John F. Kennedy International Airport," p.100</ref> The Boeing 747-200s of the same era had typical ranges from {{cvt|5,000|–|6,000|mi}} and were much more sought after by international airlines.<ref>Jenkins 2000, p.43</ref> The IL-86 was used almost exclusively by Aeroflot and successor post-Soviet airlines.<ref>http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/il-86.htm {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731022331/http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/il-86.htm |date=July 31, 2017 }}, John Pike, "Il-86 Camber," Retrieved July 28, 2017</ref>
*[[Air France]] ran several services through Gander connecting Paris and Shannon to Montreal, Boston, and New York in the 1950s.<ref>{{cite web |title=Air France timetable, 1953 |url=http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/complete/af53/af53-02.jpg |website=Timetableimages.com |access-date=June 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304115003/http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/complete/af53/af53-02.jpg |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>
*American Overseas Airlines used Gander as a stop for [[Lockheed Constellation]] flights between New York and London from 1947.<ref>{{cite web |title=AOA timetable, 1947 |url=http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/ao1/ao4711/ao47-04.jpg |website=timetableimages.com |access-date=June 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150617143405/http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/ao1/ao4711/ao47-04.jpg |archive-date=June 17, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[British Overseas Airways Corporation]] operated Constellations on London-Shannon-Gander-New York, London-Glasgow-Gander-New York, and London-Glasgow-Gander-Montreal routings from 1947.<ref>{{cite web |title=BOAC timetable, 1947 |url=http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/ba2/ba47/ba47-03.jpg |website=timetableimages.com |access-date=June 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150617102018/http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/ba2/ba47/ba47-03.jpg |archive-date=June 17, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> By 1960, the Gander stop was only used as an alternative to a Glasgow or Shannon stop for [[Bristol Britannia]] service to Montreal and Toronto.<ref>{{cite web |title=BOAC timetable, 1960 |url=http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/complete/ba60/ba60-03.jpg |website=timetableimages.com |access-date=June 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304075632/http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/complete/ba60/ba60-03.jpg |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Interflug]] flights between [[East Germany]] and Cuba would stop to refuel in Gander, until the airline began using [[Airbus A310]]s in 1989.<ref name=faz>{{cite journal |last=Kern |first=Ingolf |title=50 Jahre Interflug: Was von der DDR-Staatsfluggesellschaft blieb |journal=[[Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung]] |date=June 23, 2008 |url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/reise/nah/50-jahre-interflug-was-von-der-ddr-staatsfluggesellschaft-blieb-1547977.html |access-date=September 19, 2013 |language=de |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131006030426/https://www.faz.net/aktuell/reise/nah/50-jahre-interflug-was-von-der-ddr-staatsfluggesellschaft-blieb-1547977.html |archive-date=October 6, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[KLM]] used Gander as a stop on Amsterdam-Glasgow-Gander-New York service from 1946.<ref>{{cite web |title=KLM timetable, 1946 |url=http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/kl/kl46tr/kl46tr-2.jpg |website=timetableimages.com |access-date=June 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150617102012/http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/kl/kl46tr/kl46tr-2.jpg |archive-date=June 17, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Pan American World Airways]] used Gander as a stop for transatlantic [[Douglas DC-4]] service between [[John F. Kennedy International Airport|New York-Idlewild]] and [[Shannon Airport|Shannon]] (continuing to London and Lisbon) starting in 1946.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pan Am timetable, 1946 |url=http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/pa/pa46/pa46-04.jpg |website=timetableimages.com |access-date=June 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150617102023/http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/pa/pa46/pa46-04.jpg |archive-date=June 17, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> Gander remained in use in 1960 as a stop for [[Douglas DC-7]] services between New York and Scandinavia, although other transatlantic flights bypassed Gander by that point.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pan Am timetable, 1960 |url=http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/pa/pa60/pa60-04.jpg |website=timetableimages.com |access-date=June 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150617102028/http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/pa/pa60/pa60-04.jpg |archive-date=June 17, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Sabena]] operated Brussels-Shannon-Gander-New York service from 1949 using [[Douglas DC-6]]s.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sabena timetable, 1949 |url=http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/complete/sn49/sn49-05.jpg |website=timetableimages.com |access-date=June 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304113918/http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/complete/sn49/sn49-05.jpg |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Scandinavian Airlines]] operated Stockholm-Oslo/Copenhagen-Prestwick-Gander-New York service from 1946.<ref>{{cite web |title=SAS timetable, 1946 |url=http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/sk/sk46/sk46-2.jpg |website=timetableimages.com |access-date=June 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150617123611/http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/sk/sk46/sk46-2.jpg |archive-date=June 17, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Trans-Canada Air Lines]] used Gander as a stop for transatlantic service to London from 1946 and also operated local service from Gander to [[St. John's International Airport|St. John's]] and [[Sydney/J.A. Douglas McCurdy Airport|Sydney]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Trans-Canada Air Lines timetable, 1946 |url=http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/ac/tc46/tc46-2.jpg |website=timetableimages.com |access-date=June 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150617102057/http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/ac/tc46/tc46-2.jpg |archive-date=June 17, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Trans World Airlines]] operated Boston-Gander-Shannon and Boston-Gander-Azores-Lisbon services from 1947 using Constellations, with onward service to destinations in Europe, the Middle East, and India.<ref>{{cite web |title=TWA timetable, 1947 |url=http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/complete/tw47/tw47-4.jpg |website=timetableimages.com |access-date=June 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150617122802/http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/complete/tw47/tw47-4.jpg |archive-date=June 17, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Runway 04/22 was extended from {{cvt|8400|to|10500|ft|-1}} in 1971 and is now 03/21 at {{cvt|10200|ft}}.<ref>''Aviation Daily'' May 21, 1971 p117, November 8, 1971 p47</ref><ref name="CFS"/>

With the advent of jets with longer range in the 1960s, most flights no longer needed to refuel. Gander has decreased in importance, but it remains the home of [[Gander Control]], one of the two air traffic control centres (the other being [[Shanwick Oceanic Control]] which is split between two sites – one in [[Prestwick]], Scotland and the other in [[Shannon, Ireland]]), which direct the high-level [[North Atlantic Tracks]]. Most aircraft travelling to and from Europe or North America must talk to at least one of these [[air traffic control]]s.

As of 2007, some commercial transatlantic flights still use Gander as a refuelling stop; most notably, some American legacy carriers ([[United Airlines]] and [[Delta Air Lines]] in particular) who use the [[Boeing 757]] to connect smaller European cities with their major US hubs.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Higgins |first1=Michelle |title=The Flights Are Long. The Planes Are Cramped |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/29/travel/29pracsqueeze.html?_r=0 |website=New York Times |date=July 29, 2007 |access-date=July 29, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150121072320/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/29/travel/29pracsqueeze.html?_r=0 |archive-date=January 21, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{needs update|date=May 2025}} The 757 is particularly affected in this respect, as it was not an aircraft intended or designed for transatlantic flights.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Clark |first1=Andrew |title=Continental transatlantic flights run low on fuel |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2008/apr/21/theairlineindustry.useconomy |website=The Guardian |access-date=April 8, 2008}}</ref> This practice has been controversial, since strong headwinds over the Atlantic Ocean during the winter months can result in the flights being declared "minimum fuel", forcing refuelling stops at Gander in order to safely complete their journeys.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Paur |first1=Jason |title=High Winds Forcing Pitstops On Transatlantic Flights |url=https://www.wired.com/2012/01/high-winds-forcing-pitstops-on-transatlantic-flights/ |magazine=Wired |access-date=February 23, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306201201/http://www.wired.com/2012/01/high-winds-forcing-pitstops-on-transatlantic-flights/ |archive-date=March 6, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

During the Cold War, Gander was notable for the number of persons from Communist nations who defected there (including Soviet chess player and pianist [[Igor Vasilyevich Ivanov]], Cuban Olympic swimmer Rafael Polinario,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.realjock.com/article/70/ |title=Real Athlete: Olympic Swimmer & Water Polo Player Rafael Polinario |first=Andrew |last=Delaware |work=RealJock.com |access-date=December 17, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110104211114/http://www.realjock.com/article/70/ |archive-date=January 4, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> and the Vietnamese woman famously photographed as a naked girl fleeing a napalmed village, [[Phan Thi Kim Phuc]]). It was one of the few refueling points where the smaller airplanes used by airlines that served the Eastern Bloc could stop en route from Eastern Europe or the [[Soviet Union]] to Cuba.<ref>{{cite news |last=Martin |first=Douglas |title=A Canada Airport Lures Would-Be Defectors |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/13/world/a-canada-airport-lures-would-be-defectors.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=February 13, 1985 |access-date=July 30, 2021}}</ref>

On 12 December 1985, Gander was the site of the [[Arrow Air Flight 1285]] disaster, in which a [[McDonnell Douglas DC-8|Douglas DC-8]] with 256 on board, mostly soldiers from the US Army [[101st Airborne Division]], crashed during takeoff, probably due to being overweight and experiencing [[atmospheric icing]]; there were no survivors. The crash was, and remains, {{asof|2025|May|lc=true}}, the deadliest airplane accident on Canadian soil.<ref name=asn/>
[[File:A330 in Gander.jpg|thumb|An [[Air France]]  [[Airbus A330]] parked at Gander in February 2025 after a mechanical issue led to a diversion]]
Today, Gander remains an important stop for [[Transatlantic flight|transatlantic flights]] that require a diversion. The long runways at the airport are a big reason for this, as any aircraft can land at the airport.

=== Aircraft testing ===
The airport has been used historically as a testing site for the testing and development of many aircraft. The use of the airport for crosswind testing, in particular, has led to it being the airport of choice in recent years.

[[Concorde]] used the airport in 1974 to test [[Transatlantic flight]] capabilities. Passengers were selected from the town population to fly to England and France on test flights, and experience supersonic flight. In September 1975, Concorde G-BOAC made two return trips to Gander in one day, becoming the first aircraft to make four transatlantic crossings in a single day.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gander Airport Historical Society |url=http://www.ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_trans/The.Concorde.htm |access-date=2025-06-06 |website=www.ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org}}</ref>

Gander became the first Canadian airport at which a [[Boeing 787 Dreamliner]] landed at, as [[Boeing]] used Gander for crosswind testing on the 787-8 in 2011.{{cn|date=November 2025}} In 2018, the [[787-10]] used the airport for crosswind testing as well.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-08-22 |title=COMMERCIAL BOEING 787-10 DREAMLINER |url=https://www.key.aero/article/commercial-boeing-787-10-dreamliner |access-date=2025-06-06 |website=www.key.aero |language=en}}</ref>

The [[Bombardier C Series]], now known as the [[Airbus A220]], used the airport for testing in 2016.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EjU5k9PqL8 |title=Bombardier CS100 Test Flight - Touch & Go |date=2016-06-23 |publisher=235FireFly |access-date=2025-06-06 |via=YouTube}}</ref>

===Gander International Airport Authority===
The ''Gander International Airport Authority'' (''GIAA''; {{langx|fr|Autorité aéroportuaire de Gander}}) was formed in 1996<ref name="ganderairport">{{cite web |url=https://www.ganderairport.com/about-giaa/operational-structure/ |title=Operational Structure &#124; FlyGander &#124; Gander International Airport &#124; Newfoundland |website=ganderairport.com |access-date=2020-09-13}}</ref> by the [[Government of Canada]], which was divesting its direct control of airports across the country to similar operating agencies. Previously, Gander was operated by the Government of Newfoundland from 1938 to 1942 and 1945 to 1949<ref name="ganderairporthistoricalsociety">{{cite web |url=http://www.ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/history_cyqx_intl.htm |website=ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org |title=Gander Airport Historical Society |access-date=2020-09-13}}</ref> before transferring to the Government of Canada when Newfoundland became a province.<ref name="ganderairport2">{{cite web |url=http://www.ganderairport.com/about-giaa/history-growth/ |title=Browse Happy FlyGander &#124; Gander International Airport &#124; Newfoundland |website=ganderairport.com |access-date=2020-09-13 |archive-date=August 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803092108/http://www.ganderairport.com/about-giaa/history-growth/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Its mission is to operate the airport in a self-sufficient fashion. It receives its revenues from landing fees on airlines, departure fees on passengers, parking revenues and facility rentals. The revenues are used for operating and capital expenses.

The GIAA only operates the civil airport and does not oversee the nearby [[List of heliports in Canada#96|Gander (James Paton Memorial Regional Health Centre) Heliport]] nor CFB Gander.

===Operation Yellow Ribbon (September 2001)===
{{Main|Operation Yellow Ribbon}}
Following the [[September 11 attacks]] on September 11, 2001, with United States airspace closed, Gander International played host to 38 airliners, totaling 6,122 passengers and 473 crew,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mercer |first1=Greg |title=Gander's famous airport hopes the past is a big part of its future |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-ganders-famous-airport-hopes-the-past-is-a-big-part-of-its-future/ |website=The Globe and Mail |access-date=31 January 2023 |date=25 April 2022 |quote=On Sept. 11, 2001, Gander International hosted 38 planes, with 6,122 passengers and 473 crew, that were rerouted due to the terrorist attacks}}</ref> as part of Operation Yellow Ribbon. Gander International received more flights than any other Canadian airport involved in the operation apart from [[Halifax Stanfield International Airport|Halifax]]. The 6,595 passengers and crew accounted for the third highest total of passengers that landed at a Canadian airport involved in the operation, behind [[Vancouver International Airport|Vancouver]] and Halifax.

A major reason that Gander received so much traffic was its ability to handle large aircraft and because [[Transport Canada]] and [[Nav Canada]] instructed pilots coming from Europe to avoid major airports in Central Canada, such as [[Toronto-Pearson]] and [[Montréal-Dorval]].<ref>{{cite web |year=2009 |url=http://www.navcanada.ca/NavCanada.asp?Language=en&Content=ContentDefinitionFiles\Newsroom\Backgrounders\911crisis.xml |title=NAV CANADA and the 9/11 Crisis |publisher=[[Nav Canada]] |access-date=March 19, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418034929/http://www.navcanada.ca/NavCanada.asp?Language=EN&Content=contentdefinitionfiles%5Cnewsroom%5Cbackgrounders%5C911crisis.xml |archive-date=April 18, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> The reception these travellers received in the central Newfoundland communities near the airport has been one of the most widely reported happy stories surrounding that day.

To honour the people of Gander and [[Halifax Regional Municipality|Halifax]] for their support during the operation, [[Lufthansa]] named a new [[Airbus A340-300]] "Gander/Halifax" on May 16, 2002. That airplane is listed with the registration D-AIFC,<ref>[http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?front=yes&maxres=500&keywords=D-AIFC D-AIFC at] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930171301/http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?front=yes&maxres=500&keywords=D-AIFC. |date=September 30, 2007 }} [[airliners.net]]</ref> D-AIFC had been diverted to Gander during Operation Yellow Ribbon, and was the first aircraft of that fleet with a city name from outside of Germany.

The airport was the site for Canada's memorial service to mark the [[Memorials and services for the September 11 attacks|first anniversary of the attack]], over which [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[Jean Chrétien]], [[Minister of Transport (Canada)|Transport Minister]] [[David Collenette]], [[US Ambassador to Canada]] [[Paul Cellucci]], and provincial and local officials presided. 2,500 of the 6,600 people that were diverted there the year before also attended the ceremony.

The musical stage show ''[[Come from Away]]'' and [[Come from Away (film)|its film adaptation]] are based around the experiences of residents of [[Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador|Gander]] in the province of [[Newfoundland and Labrador]] and those affected by the forced landings.

==Future==
Officials at Gander International Airport stated in 2006 that the future for the airport is grim unless the [[Government of Canada|federal government]] provides funding to cover costs. Over 50% of all aircraft operating from the air field are military, and do not pay [[landing fee]]s.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Gander airport warns it could close without Ottawa's help |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/gander-airport-warns-it-could-close-without-ottawa-s-help-1.603322 |access-date=July 20, 2006 |work=CBC News}}</ref>

The terminal building—built in the 1950s and noted for its modernist design and heritage architecture—still includes many of its original furnishings and fixtures. In April 2014, Gander Airport Authority made plans to abandon the existing terminal building due to high operating costs and replace it with a new terminal a quarter of the size.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/gander-airport-to-be-traded-in-for-new-terminal-1.2624909 |title=Gander airport to be traded-in for new terminal |date=April 29, 2014 |publisher=CBC News |access-date=July 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140701044626/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/gander-airport-to-be-traded-in-for-new-terminal-1.2624909 |archive-date=July 1, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2017, the airport announced the existing terminal would instead be renovated and downsized, at a cost of $26.4 million.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ganderairport.com/article/atbrenovation/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626102748/http://www.ganderairport.com/article/atbrenovation/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 26, 2019 |title=GIAA will pursue a renovation for its aging Air Terminal Building |first=Reg |last=Wright |website=FlyGander &#124; Gander International Airport &#124; Newfoundland }}</ref>

==Facilities==
[[File:Gander Airport - runway.jpg|thumb|Runway at Gander International Airport]]

===Runways===
Gander has two active [[runway]]s: runway 13/31 which is {{cvt|8900|x|200|ft}}, and runway 03/21 (changed from 04/22 in August 2004) which measures {{cvt|10200|x|200|ft}} and underwent a $10 million comprehensive rehabilitation project, completed in September 2012.

The airport's runway 03/21 was designated as an emergency landing runway for NASA's [[Space Shuttle|Space Shuttle orbiter]]. The airport is also an important emergency landing runway for large aircraft in transatlantic operation in the [[ETOPS]] system, which requires aircraft to always be within a specified distance from a suitable alternate landing site in case of engine failure.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://code7700.com/pdfs/icao_annex_6_part_i.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329071416/http://code7700.com/pdfs/icao_annex_6_part_i.pdf |url-status=dead |title=Annex 6 – Operation of Aircraft |archive-date=March 29, 2017}}</ref> For many two-engine aircraft this is two or three hours with malfunction in one engine.

===Fire services===

Gander Airport Safety and Airside Operations is responsible for fire and rescue operations using three vehicles at their station within the airport. It also has a mutual aid agreement with the Town of Gander Fire Department to provide additional fire fighting services.<ref name="firefightingincanada.com">{{Cite web |url=http://www.firefightingincanada.com/emergency-disaster-management/the-status-of-airport-security-9601 |title=The status of airport security |date=September 7, 2011 |access-date=December 15, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216002731/http://www.firefightingincanada.com/emergency-disaster-management/the-status-of-airport-security-9601 |archive-date=December 16, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Planespotting and photography ===
[[File:C-GPGH at Gander.jpg|thumb|A [[PAL Airlines]] [[De Havilland Canada Dash 8|Dash 8-400]] taxiing for takeoff at Gander, as seen from the spotting area]]
A designated area for aviation photographers was built by the Airport Authority. It is located parallel to runway 13/31 on the north side of the airfield. It consists of a parking lot and designated places for photographers to have unobstructed shots of aircraft arriving and departing with the full terminal as a backdrop.

==Airlines and destinations==
<!-- Please use only independent sources. The airport or the airline itself are not independent sources. -->
{{Airport-dest-list
<!-- -->
| [[Air Canada Express]] | [[Halifax Stanfield International Airport|Halifax]]<ref>{{OAGWorldJuly2025Ref|title=Calgary, AB, Canada YYC|pages=204-206}}</ref> <br /> '''Seasonal:''' [[Montréal–Trudeau]],<ref>{{OAGWorldJuly2025Ref|title=Montreal, QC, Canada YMQ|pages=768-771}}</ref> [[Toronto–Pearson]]<ref>{{OAGWorldJuly2025Ref|title=Toronto, ON, Canada YTO|pages=1156-1162}}</ref>
| [[PAL Airlines]] | [[Churchill Falls Airport|Churchill Falls]], [[CFB Goose Bay|Goose Bay]],<ref>{{OAGWorldJuly2025Ref|title=Goose Bay, NL, Canada YYR|pages=429-429}}</ref> [[St. John's International Airport|St. John's]],<ref>{{OAGWorldJuly2025Ref|title=St. Johns, NL, Canada YYT|pages=996-996}}</ref> [[Wabush Airport|Wabush]]<ref>{{OAGWorldJuly2025Ref|title=Wabush, NL, Canada YWK|pages=1204-1204}}</ref>
'''Seasonal:''' [[Deer Lake Regional Airport|Deer Lake]]<ref>https://www.gov.nl.ca/releases/2025/exec/0429n04/</ref>
}}

==Fixed-base operators==
The following [[fixed-base operator]]s (FBOs) are based at Gander International Airport:<ref name="CFS"/>

===Public===
*[[Allied Aviation Services]]
*Woodward Aviation
*Gander Aviation
*[[Irving Group of Companies|Irving Aviation Services]]

==Accidents and incidents==
[[File:PBY over DC-4 crashsite Newfoundland 1946.jpeg|thumb|right|The crash site of the DC-4 on [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]]]]

*On 21 February 1941, three people were killed when a [[Lockheed L-14 Super Electra]]/[[Lockheed Hudson|Hudson]] departing from Gander crashed near [[Musgrave Harbour]] after both of the plane's engines failed. The fatalities include [[Sir Frederick Grant Banting]] who died of wounds and exposure. The navigator and co-pilot died instantly, but Banting and the pilot, Captain [[Mackey Airlines|Joseph Mackey]], survived the initial impact. According to Mackey, the sole survivor, Banting died from his injuries the next day.<ref>{{cite book |last=Stevens |first=James |date=July 6, 2006 |title=The Maw: Searching for the Hudson Bombers |publisher=Trafford |pages=41–43 |isbn=978-1412063845}}</ref>
*On 6 January 1943, a [[Consolidated Aircraft]] [[Consolidated PBY Catalina|28-5MC Canso]] (PBY-5) of the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] clipped the tops of trees after takeoff and crashed killing five of the seven crew on board.<ref name="aviation-safety.net">{{cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/airport/airport.php?id=YQX |title=Gander Airport, NL profile – Aviation Safety Network}}</ref>
*On 5 May 1943, a [[Canadian Vickers]] [[Consolidated PBY Catalina|PBV-1A Canso A]] (PBY-5A), CV-241, of the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] lost height and impacted wooded terrain shortly after takeoff from runway 15 killing six of the seven crew on board.<ref name="aviation-safety.net"/>
*On 8 May 1943, a [[Lockheed Corporation|Lockheed]] [[Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar|C-60A Lodestar]] of the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] crashed on approach to Gander killing all three crew members.<ref name="aviation-safety.net"/>
*On 4 September 1943, a [[Consolidated B-24 Liberator]] ''1524'', c/n 589 from [[No. 10 Squadron RCAF|No. 10 Squadron]] of the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] crashed into [[Gander Lake]] immediately after takeoff killing the entire crew.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/175455 |title=Accident Consolidated B-24D Liberator 589, 04 Sep 1943}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_war/Gander.lakes.B24.htm |title=Gander Airport Historical Society}}</ref>
*On 18 September 1946, 27 people died when a [[SABENA]] [[Douglas DC-4]] (OO-CBG) crashed 35&nbsp;km short of Gander Airport, where the aircraft planned to land for a refueling stop on the flight from Brussels to New York. At the time of the accident (07:42 [[UTC]]), there was dense fog near the airport, and the pilot executed a flawed approach at too low an altitude. There were 17 survivors (16 passengers and one crew).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19460918-0 |title=ASN Aircraft accident Douglas DC-4-1009 OO-CBG Gander, NF |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |date=September 18, 1946 |access-date=July 23, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228183717/http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19460918-0 |archive-date=December 28, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>
*On Wednesday 5 May 1948, a [[Douglas C-47 Skytrain|Douglas C-47A-30-DK]], ''NC17645'', of [[Superior Oil Company]] departed from Gander en route to [[Shannon Airport]] and disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean with three fatalities.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19480505-0 |title=ASN Aircraft accident Douglas C-47A-30-DK (DC-3) NC17645}}</ref>
*On 18 April 1953, a [[Lockheed Ventura]], CF-FAW, with four crew members of Spartan Air Services disappeared after departing Gander on a flight to Ottawa.
*On 25 August 1954, a [[Lockheed L-749 Constellation]] ''F-BAZI'' of [[Air France]] of flight AF075 on the Paris–Shannon–Gander–New York–Mexico City route overran the runway and crashed into a ravine upon landing.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baaa-acro.com/zone/newfoundland-labrador?page=5 |title=Newfoundland & Labrador &#124; Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives}}</ref>
*On Thursday 18 March 1965, [[Douglas DC-3|Douglas C-47A-30-DK]], ''N4997E'', of [[Miami Aviation]] departed Gander for [[Santa Maria Airport (Azores)|Santa Maria]], [[Portugal]] and crashed into the Trinity Bay area killing the two crewmembers on board.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19650318-1 |title=ASN Aircraft accident Douglas C-47A-1-DK (DC-3C) N4997E Waterville, NL}}</ref>
*On 5 September 1967 an [[Ilyushin Il-18]] (registration OK-WAI) of [[ČSA Flight 523|Czechoslovak State Airlines flight 523]]  crashed on climbout heading east on runway 13 while on a Prague-Shannon-Gander-Havana passenger service, killing 37 of 69 on board; the cause was never determined.<ref>{{ASN accident |title=OK-WAI |id=19670905-0 |access-date=September 23, 2013}}</ref>
*On 12 December 1985 [[Arrow Air Flight 1285]] crashed on take-off from the then runway 22. The disaster claimed the lives of all 8 crew members and 248 soldiers of the [[United States Army]]'s [[101st Airborne Division]] who were returning home for Christmas from a [[peacekeeping]] deployment in the [[Middle East]]. The impact on the south side of the [[Trans-Canada Highway]] on the shore of [[Gander Lake]] left a charred clearing in the forest where a memorial now stands to those who died in Canada's deadliest air crash.<ref name=asn>{{ASN accident|id=19851212-0}}</ref>
*On 17 December 1998 an [[Antonov]] [[An-124]], ''RA-82046'' of [[Volga-Dnepr Airlines]] landed on runway 13 and slid off the runway and came to rest 60 metres from the button of runway 31. The aircraft was embedded in mud and no. 4 engine caught on fire.<ref name="aviation-safety.net"/>
*On 20 April 2016, [[Air Canada Express]] flight 7804 (EV7804), which was operated by an [[EVAS Air]] [[Beechcraft 1900|Beechcraft 1900D]] (C-FEVA) crashed upon landing on runway 03. At the time of arrival, the weather conditions were described as ¨Heavy Snow¨ and the visibility at the airport was 1/8 [[Statute mile]] visibility. The flight, arriving from [[CFB Goose Bay|Goose Bay]], touched down right of the runway centerline, and veered right. The nose gear of the aircraft struck a snow windrow and subsequently collapsed, causing 7 out of the 8 blades of the propellers to separate from the engine. On the right side of the aircraft, a piece of propeller blade punctured the aircraft. Of the 14 occupants onboard, (12 passengers and 2 crew) everyone survived, and 3 people sustained minor injuries.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Transportation Safety Board of Canada |date=2016-04-20 |title=Aviation Investigation Report A16A0041 - Transportation Safety Board of Canada |url=https://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/aviation/2016/a16a0041/a16a0041.html |access-date=2025-03-11 |website=www.tsb.gc.ca}}</ref>
*On 10 March 2022, a [[CH-149 Cormorant]] of 103 Search & Rescue Squadron crashed during a training exercise, injuring all six crew members.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kennedy  |first=Alex |date=July 28, 2023 |title=Pilot seat that caused helicopter crash at 9 Wing Gander didn't meet safety standards, report finds |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/gander-helicopter-crash-report-1.6921347 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240119180044/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/gander-helicopter-crash-report-1.6921347 |archive-date=2024-01-19 |access-date=2024-04-03 |work=CBC News}}</ref>

==See also==

*[[North Atlantic Aviation Museum]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

*{{Air Force Historical Research Agency}}{{title missing|date=August 2017}}
*Mac Moss. ''Flown into the Arms of Angels: Newfoundland and Labrador's Unsung Heroes of 9/11'' [https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/gander-emergency-management-1.6164287]

==External links==
{{Commons category|Gander International Airport}}
*{{Official website|https://www.ganderairport.com/}}
*[https://www.snopes.com/rumors/gander.htm Tales of Gander hospitality on September 11 (snopes.com)]
*[https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p084pp2h/the-airport-for-celebrities-you-never-knew-existed The airport for celebrities you never knew existed]
{{Can-arpt-wx|CYQX|Gander International Airport}}
*{{ASN|YQX|Gander International Airport}}
*NBC News feature featuring Tom Brokaw: [http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/play/1335538/gander_brokaw_piece?wpid=5435 "A Tribute to Gander, Newfoundland "] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719151049/http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/play/1335538/gander_brokaw_piece?wpid=5435 |date=July 19, 2011 }}, February 27, 2010
*New York Times travel article. Gollner, Adam. [http://travel.nytimes.com/2005/03/20/travel/tmagazine/20TGANDER.html "Gander Airport: When the Going Was Good"], March 20, 2005

{{Airports in Canada}}
{{USAAF Antisubmarine Command}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Certified airports in Newfoundland and Labrador]]
[[Category:Airports established in 1938]]
[[Category:Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador]]
[[Category:WAAS reference stations]]
[[Category:Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces Air Transport Command on the North Atlantic Route]]
[[Category:1930s establishments in Newfoundland]]
[[Category:1938 establishments in North America]]
[[Category:1938 establishments in the British Empire]]
[[Category:National Airports System]]