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Operation Yellow Ribbon is the name of the operation that Transport Canada created to handle the diversion of civilian airline flights following the September 11, 2001 attacks. The operation started after the FAA grounded all aircraft across the United States and re-routed incoming international flights to airports in Canada. During the operation, departing flights, with the exception of police, military, and humanitarian flights were canceled, marking the first time that Canada shut down its airspace. As a result of Operation Yellow Ribbon, 255 aircraft were diverted to 15 different airports across the country. Deployment of emergency measures Right after the attacks on the World Trade Center, both Transport Canada and NAV CANADA, the Canadian air navigation agency, activated their emergency measures. Transport Canada Transport Canada activated its Situation Centre (SitCen) in Ottawa at 09:21 ET (13:21 UTC). The SitCen is Transport Canada's emergency operations centre (EOC), originally constructed to deal with earthquakes along the West Coast and had been used several times prior to September 11 2001. As personnel staffed the SitCen, key organizations such as NAV CANADA, the Department of National Defence, the RCMP, CSIS, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), and Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) were also involved in SitCen operations. One of the tasks of the SitCen was to maintain contact with other members of the Canadian aviation community, such as the Air Transport Association of Canada and local airport authorities. Their American counterparts such as the FAA and international civil aviation authorities were also kept apprised. NAV CANADA NAV CANADA set up two command centres, the Strategic Command Centre (SCC) and the Tactical Command Centre (TCC). The SCC, located at the head office in Ottawa and headed by Andy Vasarins, vice-president, operations, oversaw the entire crisis and ensured that information and resources were effectively shared amongst the TCC and other parties. The TCC was originally a training institute in Cornwall, Ontario and headed by Kathy Fox, assistant vice-president, air traffic services. Its role in the crisis was to disseminate information amongst airports and control towers. To facilitate this, general managers from across Canada were present. After the immediate crisis passed, the TCC was relocated to the head office and its operations were merged with the SCC. The operation The operation officially began at 09:45 ET (13:45 UTC), when the FAA closed down U.S. airspace as a result of the attacks. Actions taken by Transport Canada After learning that the FAA had closed down U.S. airspace, Transport Minister David Collenette gave orders that Canadian airports be open only for outgoing police, military, and humanitarian flights, and incoming U.S.-bound international flights. This was the first time Canada had shut down its airspace. About 500 flights were en route to the United States at the time of the attacks. Transport Canada instructed NAV CANADA to give permission for U.S.-bound international flights that were at least halfway towards their destination to land at the nearest Canadian airport, depending on their point of origin and remaining fuel. Planes were entering Canadian airspace at a rate of one to two planes per minute. During the operation, SitCen staff focused on two issues: The first airport to receive diverted flights was CFB Goose Bay, which received seven aircraft; fourteen other airports from coast to coast would also receive the diverted flights. As the operation progressed, SitCen staff maintained contact with the affected airports, Collenette, and his deputy, Margaret Bloodworth. Atlantic flights
Pacific flights Most of the flights coming from Asia to destinations on the United States west coast and points beyond had no other choice but to land at Vancouver International Airport it was the only major Canadian airport on the West coast capable of handling the large airplanes used for trans-Pacific flights. As a result, 34 flights, carrying 8,500 passengers ended their journeys in Vancouver. Military involvement There were also several incidents in which the military escorted jets into Canadian airspace. NORAD used U.S. and Canadian fighter jets to intercept and escort civilian passenger flights to Whitehorse International Airport. One of the intercepted flights was a Korean Air 747 destined for Anchorage, Alaska with continued service to JFK that was believed to have been hijacked. Concerns about the plane being crashed into Anchorage led several buildings in the city to be evacuated. Several buildings were also evacuated in Whitehorse as a precaution. The flight ended up running low on fuel, and according to a public affairs official at the airport, there was also a communication problem with the air crew. When it landed at the airport, witnesses reported that the RCMP ordered the crew out of the plane at gunpoint. The entire incident was a misunderstanding caused by a malfunctioning transponder. Global and The National Post reported that a similar incident occurred at Vancouver International Airport. Two U.S. F-15's escorted an Air China 747 bound from Beijing to San Francisco onto the airport's north runway. Officials at the airport reported that it was purely a communication problem. Reaction
Totals The actual number of diverted aircraft and passengers varies from each source. Transport Canada said over 33,000 passengers on 224 flights arrived in Canada, whereas NAV CANADA said 239 flights. According to Chrétien, the number of flights was anywhere between 225 and 250 and the number of passengers between 30,000 and 45,000. General consensus places the numbers at 44,519 passengers (most of them Americans) on 255 diverted flights (most of them of U.S. registry). More than half of the flights landed in Atlantic Canada. Halifax International Airport received the highest number of flights while Vancouver International received the highest number of passengers. Transport Canada and airports involved in the operation also reported a dramatic increase in traffic at their websites for updated and current information concerning news releases, FAQs, and diverted flight information. Some statistics include: Consequences for Canada Operation Yellow Ribbon had many consequences for Canadians. After the initial task of diverting the flights was over, thousands of stranded passengers and flight crews had to be housed and fed until the crisis was over. During the diversion of flights, some airports, including Vancouver International, were inundated with hundreds of telephone calls from members of the public and the corporate community offering their support. When interviewed by CNN, when asked if he was able to get food to the passengers, the prime minister said that he was able to, and that "many of them have been accommodated in hotels and schools and gymnasiums and so on. And the Canadian authorities and provincial authorities are working...(to make their visitors) in those places as comfortable as possible." Public efforts to help those affected by Operation Yellow Ribbon led to positive remarks on the subject by people such as Chrétien and his wife, Aline; the United States ambassador to Canada, Paul Cellucci; Collenette; Governor General Adrienne Clarkson and her husband, John Ralston Saul; and in the provinces, premiers, and lieutenant governors. Airports involved in the effort received messages of thanks from passengers, airlines, residents who took in the passengers, and staff at U.S. immigration and U.S. customs. Edmonton International Airport also received a child passenger's drawing of the diverted flights on the ground there, published in their annual report *. Some airports also published messages of thanks on their web sites and/or annual reports, like Halifax International and Edmonton International. Many stories of the hospitality given to stranded passengers have come out as a result of the operation. Some airports were cited for how they handled the crisis, including: On September 11, 2002, about 2,500 people gathered at Gander International Airport for Canada's memorial service to mark the first anniversary of the attacks, which Chrétien, Collennette, and Cellucci and other provicial and local officials presided over. Chrétien addressed them, "9/11 will live long in memory as a day of terror and grief. But thanks to the countless acts of kindness and compassion done for those stranded visitors here in Gander and right across Canada it will live forever in memory as a day of comfort and of healing" and closed his speech by commending Operation Yellow Ribbon, "You did yourselves proud, ladies and gentlemen, and you did Canada proud." (*) See also Television Newspapers | |||||||||||
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