20 years ago on Tuesday, 11.September 2001 dozens of planes were flying across the Atlantic between Europe and America. After the crash of the hijacked aircraft in World Trade Center towers, the airspace above New York was closed, following the rerouting of dozens of international flights.
![American Airlines pilots received this message using the inflight ACARS system in the cockpit](https://flugblogg.is/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/241825318_10157924655821345_7494182817998046288_n.jpg)
A large part of the planes that were on their way to West Coast destinations was turned to airports in Canada (Halifax in Nova Scotia, Gander in Newfoundland, etc.), but also some planes stopped at Keflavík Airport for refuelling, before returning to Europe.
“There were two Lufthansa Boeing 747s, and two SAS Boeing 767s”, Icelandic aviation photographer Ásgeir Sigurðsson remembers, “I managed to take pictures of some of them”.
![SAS airlines crew send SMS from Boeing 767-383ER reg. LN-RCE ("Aase Viking") which stoped for refuelling in Keflavik before return to Europe because of the closure of New York airpsace on 11 September 2001 // Srouce: Ásgeir Sigurðsson](https://flugblogg.is/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/241831575_10226956827410090_4955530304627686664_n-1160x859.jpg)
![Lufthansa Boeing 747-430 reg. D-ABVW ("Wolfsburg") refuelling in Keflavik before return to Europe because of the closure of New York airpsace on 11 September 2001 // Srouce: Ásgeir Sigurðsson](https://flugblogg.is/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/241770834_10226956821729948_6930654114996970183_n-1160x759.jpg)
![Lufthansa Boeing 747-430 reg. D-ABVH ("Düsseldorf") after refuelling in Keflavik before return to Europe because of the closure of New York airpsace on 11 September 2001 // Srouce: Ásgeir Sigurðsson](https://flugblogg.is/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/241790242_10226956829770149_3411486507195558589_n-1160x763.jpg)
![SAS airlines Boeing 767-383ER reg. LN-RCE ("Aase Viking") refuelling in Keflavik before return to Europe because of the closure of New York airpsace on 11 September 2001 // Srouce: Ásgeir Sigurðsson](https://flugblogg.is/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/241769028_10226956821289937_2696460934709236146_n-1160x778.jpg)