Birmingham Airport Marks 25th Anniversary of 9/11

Travelers and employees at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport paused Thursday morning to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Airport travelers, tenants, visitors and employees participated in a moment of silence at 7:46 a.m. Central Time, marking the exact time the first aircraft struck the World Trade Center in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001.

A brief announcement was made inside the airport terminal before those present observed a solemn moment of remembrance for the people who were killed and those whose lives were forever changed by the attacks.

The airport also erected a wreath in the terminal accompanied by a display featuring boots and a helmet. Airport officials said the display represented the first responders who took heroic action during the immediate aftermath of the attacks and continued responding in the days, weeks and months that followed.

Ronald F. Mathieu, president and CEO of the Birmingham Airport Authority, said the anniversary carries a personal significance for him.

“I lost friends and business associates whose offices were in the World Trade Center,” Mathieu said. “But more importantly, children lost mothers and fathers, parents lost children, and the pain and sorrow of it all is something you never forget.”

The airport also used the anniversary to reflect on how air travel and airport security changed following the attacks.

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Mathieu said security has become a regular part of the modern travel experience and continues to evolve. The Birmingham Airport Authority works with the Transportation Security Administration, Birmingham Police, Birmingham Fire and Rescue and other law enforcement agencies on airport security.

“Airport security is still evolving and has become a part of the travel experience,” Mathieu said.

The Birmingham remembrance was one of several observances held across Alabama and the nation Thursday to mark 25 years since the attacks and honor the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives.