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. 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. Canada commenced the operation after the U. 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 and aircraft were diverted to 17 different airports across the country. It had been used several times prior to September 11, , including the January North American ice storm and after Swissair Flight crashed off the coast from Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia , on September 2, 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 counterparts in the FAA United States and other international civil aviation authorities were also kept apprised. The SCC, located at the head office in Ottawa and headed by Andy Vasarins, vice-president of 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 of 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.
