United planned a dramatic 9/11 flyover tribute. The airline canceled it ‘due to concerns in the community’

Por Alex Woodward — – World RSS Feed

A memorial flight joined by F-15 jets over Denver was called off ‘following concerns raised by members of the community’

Alex Woodward in New York Thursday 10 September 2026 17:25 BST

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Officials in Denver this week warned residents not to fear the sight of U.S. fighter jets alongside a Boeing 777 commercial airliner above the city’s downtown on Friday morning, as the nation recognizes the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks.

Reactions on social media were swift. “Whose idea was this?” one person wrote. Others called it “insensitive,” “tone deaf” and “traumatizing.”

On Wednesday, United Airlines called off the event “due to concerns in the community,” according to a statement shared with The Independent.

The flight was intended as a memorial to people who died on 9/11, when al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked two of the airline’s planes. United Flight 175 crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers, while passengers on United 93 — the fourth and final plane taken over that day — fought back against the four hijackers, forcing the plane away from Washington, D.C. and into a field in Pennsylvania.

Friday’s flyover — joined by F-15 jets — was going to be “brief, but potentially surprising if you aren’t aware it’s happening,” the city’s Office of Emergency Management announced this week. “There is no emergency. This is a planned memorial event.”

United Airlines abruptly canceled plans for a memorial flyover event in Denver on September 11 to honor the victims of the 25th anniversary of the terror attacks after public outcry ( Reuters )

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston had also announced plans for the memorial, which was scheduled for 9:03 a.m. Friday — the exact time that United Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan.

“This flyover is a powerful tribute to those we lost and a reminder that their legacy lives on in the strength of our communities and in the people who continue to serve others,” Johnston said in a statement announcing the event.

United Capt. Miles Morgan, managing director of United’s Flight Training Center, said in a statement announcing the flyover that the memorial would signify “the honor, resilience and courage that carries us forward.”

But Denver’s Office of Emergency Management later announced that the airline canceled the event “following concerns raised by members of the community.”

“There will be no aircraft flyover associated with the memorial events on Friday, Sept. 11,” the agency said. “United and City and County of Denver Government appreciate everyone who shared questions and concerns with us as we worked with United and our public safety partners to keep the community informed.”

Pilots and airline workers from both United and American Airlines participated in a wreath laying ceremony in New York City on September 10 for colleagues who were killed on 9/11 ( Getty )

The United Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, recognizes the seven crew members and 33 passengers who were killed on 9/11 ( Getty )

United Airlines said it now plans to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the attacks with events at United’s Flight Training Center and at Denver International Airport, where “hundreds of employees” will attend both memorial events.

The airline will unveil a monument built of steel recovered from the World Trade Center to honor the United Airlines crew members aboard Flight 175 and Flight 93, according to a statement from the airline. The memorial will stand 9 feet 11 inches tall.

United Flight 175 took off from Boston at 8:15 a.m. on September 11, 2001. United Flight 93 left New Jersey roughly 30 minutes later.

Five al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked United 175 and crashed it into the South Tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan. Nine crew members and 51 passengers were killed.

After a struggle between a group of passengers and hijackers, United Flight 93 plunged into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing seven crew members and 33 passengers.

Hijackers also crashed American Airlines Flight 11 into the North Tower of the World Trade Center, which collapsed within two hours of the attacks. Five hijackers also crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon, killing all 64 people on board and another 125 people in the building.

Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks, and more than 9,000 people have died from 9/11-related illnesses in the years that followed. At least 49,000 people have been diagnosed with cancers related to the attacks in New York City and their aftermath, according to the 9/11 Memorial.