NATCA Remembers 9/11

Today marks the 21st anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. We mourn those who lost their lives and honor the aviation safety professionals that were on duty that day for their bravery and hard work.

It fills us with great pride to have represented the controllers who handled such a terrible event seamlessly, professionally, and safely. There were no guidelines for them to go by, but on that day, they all came together as professionals to ensure that the trust the American public places in us every day was safeguarded.

After an unprecedented shutdown of the National Airspace System was ordered, NATCA’s members across the country sprang into action to order every aircraft in their airspace to land immediately. Controllers guided 700 aircraft to land in the first four minutes, 2,800 in the first hour, and over 4,500 within the first three hours. Aircrafts carrying more than a million passengers landed without incident.

This day is a reminder that we must remain committed to our duty of protecting the National Airspace System. We are confident that with NATCA members, our NAS will continue to be the safest, most efficient in the world, capable of handling any emergency that may arise.

We also invite you to read the stories of our members who have shared their experiences of working that day at the link here. https://www.natca.org/community/awards/atc-on-9-11-the-single-greatest-feat-in-all-of-atc-history/