Operation Yellow Ribbon
Diversion of US flights into Canada after 9/11
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Key Takeaways
- Operation Yellow Ribbon (French: Opération ruban jaune ) was commenced by Canada to handle the diversion of civilian airline flights in response to the September 11 attacks in 2001 in the United States.
- targets, and to instead place these aircraft on the ground in Canada, at military and civilian airports primarily in the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and British Columbia.
- None of the aircraft proved to be a threat, and Canada hosted thousands of passengers who were stranded until U.
- Canada commenced the operation after the U.
- The FAA then worked with Transport Canada to reroute incoming international flights to airports in Canada.
Operation Yellow Ribbon (French: Opération ruban jaune) was commenced by Canada to handle the diversion of civilian airline flights in response to the September 11 attacks in 2001 in the United States. Canada's goal was to ensure that potentially destructive air traffic be removed from United States airspace as quickly as possible, and away from potential U.S. targets, and to instead place these aircraft on the ground in Canada, at military and civilian airports primarily in the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and British Columbia.
Yukon, New Brunswick, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, the Northwest Territories, and Quebec also took in aircraft, so that any malicious or destructive potential threats could be better contained and neutralized. None of the aircraft proved to be a threat, and Canada hosted thousands of passengers who were stranded until U.S. airspace was reopened.
Canada commenced the operation after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), implementing Security Control of Air Traffic and Air Navigation Aids (SCATANA), grounded all aircraft across the United States, an unprecedented action. The FAA then worked with Transport Canada to reroute incoming international flights to airports in Canada.
During the operation, departing flights—with the exception of police, military, and humanitarian flights—were cancelled, marking the first time that Canadian airspace had been shut down. In total, as a result of Operation Yellow Ribbon, between 225 and 240 aircraft were diverted to 17 different airports across the country.
Deployment of emergency measures
Immediately after the attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC), both Transport Canada and Nav Canada, the Canadian air navigation agency, activated their emergency measures.
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