Gander

Gander is a small town of 11,000 people with a huge international airport (YQX  ^IATA) on the Trans-Canada Highway in Central Newfoundland. Established in 1935, the airport was once a major refuelling point for almost all trans-Atlantic flights.

Understand

As the easternmost major fog-free airport on the north Atlantic coast, Gander was a frequent stop for both civil and military trans-Atlantic aviation. "Goose and Gander" were strategic transit points for the Royal Air Force Air Ferry Command during World War 2 and key refuelling stops for civil aviation in the early years of commercial "jet set" travel. Both airports have diminished in importance as range of commercial passenger aircraft increased to allow more routes to fly non-stop, advances in instrument navigation made a fog-shrouded landing in St. John's safe and routine, and de-escalation at the end of the Cold War curtailed military flights. On the other side of the Atlantic, Shannon in Ireland had a similar function (and still does for the LCY-NYC flights that are too heavy when taking off with a full tank) and became known as the birthplace of the Duty Free Shop at Airports.

There are various local memorials to aviators and servicemen, including Commonwealth War Graves for a hundred and one who served during the Second World War (Gander hosted air-reconnaissance planes, military defence forces and an anti-aircraft regiment) and a Silent Witnesses Memorial which overlooks a site where an Arrow Air flight carrying 256 peacekeepers of the 101st US Airborne Division "Screaming Eagles” home from the Sinai Peninsula crashed on take-off.

Gander accepted more diverted passengers during the September 11, 2001 attacks than any other Canadian airfield except Halifax and Vancouver and more aircraft than any city except Halifax, adding 6,600 people to its local population (in 2001) of 9650 in just a few hours. Lufthansa named one Airbus A340 "Gander/Halifax" to acknowledge both cities and a book The Day The World Came to Town recorded the incident for posterity.

Get in

By car

On Trans-Canada Highway 1, Gander is 330 km west of St. John's and 570 km east of Port Aux Basques.

By plane

• 🌍 Gander International Airport (YQX  ^IATA). Served by Air Canada and Sunwing Airlines, with daily flights from St. John's and Halifax. Wi-Fi, bar, 24-hour restaurant, various rental car firms on-site.  

Get around

Busy Bee Cabs ([phone]) and M&S Limousine Service ([phone]) provide local transport.

Budget ([phone]), National ([phone]) and Thrifty ([phone]) provide hire cars at the airport; there's also a Rent-a-Wreck ([phone]) on the main highway.

See

• 🌍 North Atlantic Aviation Museum, 135 Trans-Canada Highway, ☎ [phone]. The history of aviation in Gander, once an important refuelling stop on trans-Atlantic flights. Museum exhibits cover wartime operations during WWII and the town's role in hosting 6600 travellers when 38 civilian and 4 military flights diverted to Gander during the September 11th, 2001 attacks. $5. 

Do

• 🌍 Gander Golf Club, 251 Trans-Canada Highway, ☎ [phone]. Golf club with pro shop and "19th hole" restaurant $50-55 (18 holes). 
• 🌍 Little Harbour, Gander Lake (1.5km from Trans-Canada Highway and 10km from city centre.). Recreational park and marina, picnic/BBQ area, boat launch ramp and wharf/docking on fresh-water Gander Lake.  

Events

• Festival of Flight. First Monday in August. Five-day local festival with sports, parade, live music, fireworks on Gander Day municipal holiday. 

Buy

• 🌍 Gander Mall, 132 Bennett Dr, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. (updated Jun 2018)
• 🌍 Fraser Mall, 230 Airport Boulevard, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. (updated Jun 2018)
• 🌍 Foodland, 151 Airport Blvd, ☎ [phone]. Tu-Fr 8AM-9PM; Mo/Sa 8AM-6PM; Su 9AM-5PM. Grocer with water refill, fruit baskets, gluten-free products and greeting cards. 

Eat

• 🌍 Bistro on Roe, 110 Roe Ave, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. M-Sa 5-10PM. French/European. 
• 🌍 Ches's Fish and Chips, 132 Bennett Dr (In the Fraser Mall.), ☎ +1 709 651-CHES (2437). Small regional chain (seven locations, based in St. John's). Chicken, burgers, salads, fish and chips. $9-15. 
• 🌍 Country Kitchen, 132 Bennett Dr, ☎ [phone]. 
• 🌍 Tai Sun Restaurant, 298 Airport Blvd, ☎ [phone]. Terrible food, but the only game in town if you're hungry for Chinese. 
• 🌍 Weston’s at the Airport, 1000 James Blvd (In the Gander International Airport.). 24/7. Home-cooked menu in a vintage cafeteria-style setting, ready-to-go meals, in-flight catering, and function room to host private events. 

Drink

• 🌍 Friend's Lounge, 10 McCurdy Dr, ☎ [phone]. 
• 🌍 Beech Bar & Grill, Gander International Airport, ☎ [phone]. Airport bar. 

Sleep

Hotels

• 🌍 Sinbad's Hotel & Suites, 133 Bennett Dr, ☎ [phone], toll-free: [phone], fax: [phone]. 
• 🌍 Quality Hotel & Suites, 100 Trans Canada Highway, ☎ [phone], toll-free: [phone], fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Meeting and banquet facilities. Alcock & Brown's Eatery. 
• 🌍 Albatross Hotel, 114 Trans Canada Highway, ☎ [phone], toll-free: [phone], fax: [phone]. Motel with 101 rooms, meeting facilities for 250 people, licensed restaurant serving traditional Canadian food, Newfoundland specialty dishes, seafood and pasta, hideaway lounge. $100+. 
• 🌍 Irving West Hotel, 1 Caldwell St, ☎ [phone], fax: [phone]. Outdoor pool, continental breakfast. 

Bed & Breakfast

• 🌍 Inn on Bennett, 66 Bennett Dr, ☎ [phone], toll-free: [phone]. Check-in: 2:30 pm, check-out: 10 am. $80-100. 

Caravan parks

• 🌍 Country Inn, 315 Magee Rd, ☎ [phone], toll-free: [phone], fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Motel (WiFi, coffee, continental breakfast) and one five-person cottage; 64 site RV/trailer park (34 with water/sewer/power hookups). $23-29 (caravan park). 

Connect

• 🌍 Gander Public and Resource Library, 6 Bell Place, ☎ [phone]. Free Internet and WiFi. Fax, scan, print. Books, CD's, DVD's. (updated Sep 2015)

Go next

• Beothuk Interpretation Centre, Boyd's Cove (70km north) recalls the now-extinct native tribe.
• Terra Nova National Park is an hour east (88 km (55 mi)) on the Trans-Canada Highway
• Twillingate, Fogo Island and Change Islands are fishing villages with small museums
• Lewisporte is the base for coastal ferry service to various small Labrador outports not on the Trans-Labrador Highway

Routes through Gander

Corner Brook ← Grand Falls-Windsor ←

W  E

→ Glovertown → St. John's