On September 11, 2001, four coordinated terrorist attacks in the US carried out by Islamist extremist group al-Qaeda shook the world. The terrorists hijacked four commercial flights and flew two of the aircraft into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York.
American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into floors 93 to 99 of the North Tower (1 WTC) at 8:46 am. United Airlines Flight 175 struck floors 77 to 85 of the South Tower (2 WTC) 17 minutes later, at 9:03 am.
When the towers were hit, between 16,400 and 18,000 people were in the WTC complex. A vast majority of them rushed out to safety as first responders went in to save those still trapped or injured.
American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon at 9:37 am. According to the 911 Memorial website, the Pentagon, as the headquarters of the US Department of Defense, serves as the symbol of American military power.
United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in a field near Shanksville in Somerset County of Pennsylvania at 10:03 am.
“It is thought that Flight 93 was headed to the Capitol building, the center of American legislative government,” the website says.
The most immediate effect of the terror attacks was the closure of US airspace even as the country tried to come to terms with the loss of lives and property.
According to the International Air Transport Association, the two-day US airspace closure led the operating revenue of airlines globally to drop to $307.5 billion in 2001 and $306 billion in 2002 from $328.5 billion in 2000.
11/09/21 Ashwini Phadnis/Moneycontrol
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