As you probably know, a lot of air rage happens on transatlantic flights.
The Canadian airport of Gander in Newfoundland is the first airport in North America large planes can land (if needed) whilst flying from Europe.
This airport has on many occasions been used to resolve air rage cases as well as mechanical problems, etc. One story: a crazy passenger went nuts
half-way over the Atlantic and the Pilot decided to land the plane in Gander to get the passenger removed. After the person has been arrested, the plane had to wait until they had permission to continue their route. Passengers were disembarked and the airport mad a nice little profit from the 300-400+ passengers using the Restaurants, Bars, Shops with Canadian souvenirs... The airline also has to pay a fee to the airport. Not bad for a small airport.
A close friend of mine had the misfortune of flying to DC on Sept 11. He was flying from Paris to Washington DC and when the attacks happened in the US all the planes en route had to land at the closest airport, in his case Gander. The pilot said that they were having a problem with one of the engines which was not too serious but still needed examining. He said to the passengers that they will land in Gander for a short time just to get things checked out and then proceed to DC.
As the plane made it's final approach, my friend could see about 8-10 large planes: 747, 767, A340, etc parked next to the runway. He knew something was not right...
Well, as you know planes could not enter the US airspace for several days after 9/11 and my friend spent 3-4 nights in a school gym in Newfoundland. He said it was a good experience and even met some nice people.
Does anyone know another airport in the World that is used in a similar way?
