•HRES 286 IH 
all United States-bound flights were ordered to land at 
the nearest airport; 
Whereas immediately following the closure of United States 
airspace, Transport Canada ordered the closure of Cana-
dian airports except for outgoing police, military, and hu-
manitarian flights, and incoming Canada and United 
States bound international flights; 
Whereas this marked the first occasion that either the United 
States or Canada closed its airspace; 
Whereas Transport Canada initiated Operation Yellow Rib-
bon following the closure of the United States airspace to 
handle the diversion of civilian airline flights bound for 
the United States; 
Whereas the purpose of Operation Yellow Ribbon was to re-
move all air traffic from United States airspace and away 
from potential United States targets as quickly as pos-
sible to minimize further terrorist threats; 
Whereas NAV CANADA, Canada’s civil air navigation serv-
ices provider, recorded 239 aircraft destined for the 
United States and Canada landing safely in 17 airports 
in Canada; 
Whereas Newfoundland and Labrador welcomed more airline 
passengers than any other province, with 13,000 strand-
ed individuals; 
Whereas about half of the 75 aircraft that landed in New-
foundland in fact landed at Gander International Airport, 
which is known to airline pilots around the world as the 
lifeboat of the Atlantic and is the first North American 
airport on the trans-Atlantic route; 
Whereas before the terrorist attacks, Gander International 
Airport was scheduled to receive 8 flights that day and 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
02:19 Jun 01, 2011
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR286.IH
HR286
tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
•HRES 286 IH 
instead received the second most number of flights, at 
38, and the second most number of passengers, at 6,600, 
out of all the Canadian airports during Operation Yellow 
Ribbon; 
Whereas the Town of Gander in the province of Newfound-
land and Labrador, Canada, has a population of approxi-
mately 9,600, only 3,000 more than the total number of 
stranded passengers; 
Whereas the citizens of Gander and other Newfoundlanders 
provided stranded passengers with food, clothing, shelter, 
medicine, potluck suppers, guided tours, whale-watching 
excursions, and impromptu concerts over the course of 
three tense and uncertain days; 
Whereas the kindness and generosity offered by the citizens 
of Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador to stranded 
United States passengers will forever be remembered as 
an embodiment of human compassion; 
Whereas the stranded passengers have since sponsored schol-
arships for Newfoundlanders, donated computer equip-
ment to area communities, financed a new conference 
room for the Gander area community of Lewisporte and 
held annual reunions to show their appreciation for the 
goodwill of the citizens of Gander; 
Whereas the United States owes a tremendous debt of grati-
tude to the citizens of Gander, Newfoundland and Lab-
rador; 
Whereas all local Canadian communities surrounding the af-
fected airports also welcomed the large number of pas-
sengers and accommodated them in their homes and pub-
lic facilities; and 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
02:19 Jun 01, 2011
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR286.IH
HR286
tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
•HRES 286 IH 
Whereas the United States also owes a tremendous debt of 
gratitude to all Canadian airports and the surrounding 
communities that welcomed the remaining flights, includ-
ing— 
(1) 1 flight to Deer Lake Regional Airport, 21 
flights to St. John’s International Airport, 7 flights to 
Canadian Forces Base Goose Bay, and 8 flights to 
Stephenville International Airport in Newfoundland and 
Labrador; 
(2) 47 flights to Halifax Stanfield International Air-
port in Nova Scotia; 
(3) 10 flights to Greater Moncton International Air-
port in New Brunswick; 
(4) 10 flights to Montre´al-Mirabel International Air-
port and 7 flights to Montre´al-Pierre Elliott Trudeau 
International Airport in Quebec; 
(5) 14 flights to Toronto Pearson International Air-
port and 4 flights to John C. Munro Hamilton Inter-
national Airport in Ontario; 
(6) 15 flights to Winnipeg James Armstrong Rich-
ardson International Airport in Manitoba; 
(7) 6 flights to Edmonton International Airport and 
13 flights to Calgary International Airport in Alberta; 
(8) 1 flight to Yellowknife Airport in the Northwest 
Territories; 
(9) 3 flights to Erik Nielsen Whitehorse Inter-
national Airport in Yukon; and 
(10) 34 flights to Vancouver International Airport in 
British Columbia: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives recog-
nizes and thanks the citizens of Gander, Newfoundland, 
and all other citizens across Canada who, during a time 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
02:19 Jun 01, 2011
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\HR286.IH
HR286
tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
•HRES 286 IH 
of unprecedented crisis, challenge, and uncertainty, came 
to the aid of United States citizens and forever cemented 
the generosity, goodwill, and mutual understanding that 
has defined the bilateral relationship between the United 
States and Canada. 
Æ 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
02:19 Jun 01, 2011
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\HR286.IH
HR286
tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS