United Airlines cancels Denver 9/11 flyover over safety concerns
Sep 9, 2026, 6:11 PM | Updated: Sep 10, 2026, 11:18 am
There was too much backlash. It’s been canceled.
United Airlines had planned a 9/11 commemoration flyover this Friday — the 25th anniversary of the attacks — featuring a Boeing 777 escorted by F-16 fighter jets from Buckley Space Force Base flying low over the city at exactly 9:03 a.m. That’s the precise moment terrorists crashed United Flight 175 into the South Tower of the World Trade Center.
The intent was to honor the pilots and crew members lost that day, and I respect that deeply. But the optics had people nervous. Denver’s Office of Emergency Management had already started warning 911 dispatchers, police, fire, EMS, the City of Aurora, and the State of Colorado — because they were genuinely worried people would panic and flood emergency lines.
Roughly 1 million people live in Denver and Aurora, the cities that were mobilizing to warn the public of what they may see in the skies on 9/11.
By Wednesday afternoon, United pulled the plug, citing “concerns in the community.” Spokesperson Russell Carlton said the airline will still hold private memorial events at its Flight Training Center and at DIA, including the unveiling of a 9-foot-11-inch monument made from actual World Trade Center steel.
Carlton said he was not aware of other cities planning similar flyovers with passenger planes accompanied by fighter jets. Carlton said the flyover was planned at the request of United leadership in Denver, where the airline has a hub and training center.
I think this is a good decision for United. Never forget.
Read more about why United in Denver is doing a private tribute here.
