1938: A Major Milestone for a Canadian Airport

January 11, 1938

The first aircraft landing at eastern Canada’s recently completed Newfoundland Airport (present-day Gander International Airport) took place when pilot Douglas C. Fraser (1903-1990) flew a single-engine Fox Moth VO-ADE biplane owned by Imperial Airways down onto a runway there. “I can remember it quite well,” Fraser later recalled about that clear winter day. He particularly remembered how easy it was landing the biplane on a snow-covered runway. “Just the very first touch and you stayed there,” Fraser recounted. “Snow was lovely to fly on because there was always a cushion to absorb the shock.”

This facility, which is located on the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, had the distinction early in its existence of being the world’s largest airport. During World War II, the airport was heavily used for moving Allied aircraft to the European theatre. The facility was also used extensively during that war for launching operational anti-submarine patrols to thwart German U-boats in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean. 

Following the war, the airport was again used for commercial purposes and established itself as a major refueling site for civilian transatlantic flights. By the 1950s, it was one of the world’s busiest international airports. Gander International Airport’s significance as a refueling site has declined since with the increased use of jet planes able to fly across the Atlantic without stopovers. It is also no longer the world’s largest airport. 

This airport, however, is still used for everything from a destination for cargo and military planes to an emergency drop-off for passengers with medical emergencies. On January 11, 1988, Fraser made what would be his final visit to the airport when he showed up for a ceremony to help mark the 50th anniversary of both his historic landing there and the facility’s formal debut. (Gander International Airport is featured in the accompanying NASA satellite view.)

Photo Credit: Public Domain

Additional information on Gander International Airport (originally called Newfoundland Airport) is available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gander_International_Airport

For more information on Douglas C. Fraser, please check out http://www.ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_trans/Streets/D.Fraser.htm