OPERATION GROUNDED
Nova Scotians came to aid of unexpected guests on 9-11
For Joyce Carter, the number 20 is no different than the number 1, 10 or any other year since the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001.
The aftermath of the terrorist attacks in the U.S. lives with her no matter how much time has passed.
Carter, now president and CEO of the Halifax Airport Authority, was in a vicepresident role at the Stanfield International Airport on that day when terrorists flew hijacked passenger jets into the twin towers of New York City's World Trade Centre and the U.S. Pentagon.
“The morning was pretty well a normal day, as I think most people that you ask about that day recollect, but it very quickly changed for us here,” Carter said Friday in an interview at the airport.
She had come in early and was in a planning meeting in a boardroom when a knock at the door interrupted the team.
“On the other side of the door was our director of communications and public affairs at the time Gina Connell. I knew instantly – the look on her face and the tone in her voice said something had happened.”
Still, in the early moments, all they knew was there was an incident in New York that everyone still thought was an accident. They opened their emergency operations centre and then Nav Canada advised that they could expect some diversions as a result of this event.
“Little did we know that that airspace was ultimately going to be closed in the U.S. and every in-bound plane into the U.S. was going to be diverted away from New York.”
And then they learned that it was something a lot more significant than just an accident.
Nearly 3,000 people died in the crashes, the resulting fires and the eventual collapse of the two towers, including more that 300 New York firefighters, police and Port Authority officers who responded. A fourth hijacked plane crashed in a field. It is believed the passengers tried to re-take the plane from the terrorists.
In Halifax, 40 diverted planes eventually landed and were parked at the airport, most of them wide-bodied passenger jets with 200 to 300 passengers and crew in each. The airport had to close one of the runways to find room for the aircraft to park wingtip-to-wingtip.
On top of that, it was unknown whether there was still a threat, so the jets all had to be secured.
As information slowly came out, all the newcomers were concerned for family, friends and colleagues all over the world, many of whom didn't even know where Halifax was.
It required a massive, coordinated effort to get the planes in safely, get the people safely processed, get RCMP to help help make sure no criminal activity was involved, and to help people with medical conditions and others who were shocked, scared, overwhelmed or otherwise affected by the situation.
Carter said staff worked as quickly as they could to help the passengers but it was at least 12 hours before the last plane was cleared.
“Food, beverages, prescriptions, medical care, in the hold room of the aircraft, there was animals being transported, ensuring they were taken care of — all of that was quite a big feat and a
“We open our hearts and our homes any time and that’s just one example amongst all that tragedy of what we can do when we work together.” Joyce Carter, President and CEO of the Halifax Stanfield Airport
lot of effort by everyone in the aviation business around Halifax and everyone in the community, really, to help us sort of administer that. People were just showing up and saying 'what can I do?' And as we were able to de-plane and clear customs, then the emergency centres in Halifax had already been well underway to help us determine where these people were going to go.”
Carter, like many others, worked through the night, helping people through challenges like figuring out what to do when all they had was what was in their carry-on luggage, how to speak to loved ones to assure them they were OK, to understand where they were, and in some cases how they could get home in other ways.
“Our car rentals were gone in a matter of hours. It's fairly close, if you think about it, to New York, so people drove, took buses, did whatever they could to continue their journey. But those who couldn't, obviously, stayed here and the community opened up their hearts and their homes and welcomed them in droves.”
No one knew how long people would be grounded.
It turned out to be five days before the last flight went out.
The airport will host a memorial ceremony Saturday beginning at 12:30 p.m.
Downtown, Halifax City Hall will be illuminated with red, white, and blue lights to commemorate the victims and Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency will also host a commemorative ceremony in Grand Parade Square at 8:30 a.m.
Carter said what she remembers the most is how much the community stepped up to help in any way they could. That spirit stuck with her a long time.
“We open our hearts and our homes any time and that's just one example amongst all that tragedy of what we can do when we work together. There's a lot of good amongst the bad and that just really shines through and makes people proud of what they do,
for sure.”
New, every year feels the same for her. Every year is that reflection and looking back.
“You think about the 20, for sure it puts more of a
spotlight on it so more people are talking about it and that's a good thing. I think that's a really good thing. But I remember five like it was one, 10 like it was five, 20 like it was 10.”