Flight cancellations to and from London Heathrow airport are under way to keep the skies above the capital silent at key points during the Queen’s state funeral.
On a normal day aircraft approach Heathrow just to the south of Westminster, creating a significant amount of noise.
The airport is telling passengers: “As a mark of respect for the solemnity of this sad and unique occasion, operations at the airport will be subject to alterations to avoid noise disturbance during the state funeral.”
The key times as stated by Heathrow are:
- 11.40am-12.10pm: no aircraft movements to support the two-minute silence at the conclusion of Her Majesty’s funeral.
- 1.45pm-2.20pm: no arrivals to support the procession of Her Majesty’s hearse.
- 3.05pm-4.45pm: no departures to support the ceremonial procession via the Long Walk to Windsor Castle.
- 4.45pm-9pm: a reduced departure rate to support the committal service at St George’s Chapel.
Around 200 arrivals and departures have been cancelled, and others delayed.
British Airways has grounded 100 domestic and European flights. Inbound flights from Cairo, Denver and Naples were held to avoid the arrivals curfew around noon.
United Airlines cancelled Sunday night flights from Boston, Chicago, Denver, New York and San Francisco, due to arrive on Monday.
Other long-haul cancellations include Etihad from and to Abu Dhabi and Kenya Airways from and to Nairobi.
Virgin Atlantic has cancelled or re-timed four flights, while Aer Lingus has grounded eight flights between the UK and the island of Ireland.
Air France, Austrian Airlines, KLM, Lufthansa and Swiss have also cancelled flights.
Some flights will be delayed to avoid the spells of closure. For example, the American Airlines flight 81 from Heathrow to Dallas-Fort Worth is due to leave at 5pm, almost two hours late.
Passengers travelling between central London and the airport face problems due to the closure of Paddington station, normally the hub for express and stopping trains to Heathrow.
Significant disruption is not expected at other London airports – though the departure of heads-of-state flights from Stansted, particularly US Air Force One carrying President Biden, could cause some delays.
A spokesperson for London City airport said: “During the state funeral, London City flights will not fly over Westminster out of respect for the funeral service for Her Majesty the Queen.
“We are working closely with our airlines to operate a normal schedule on the day and if there are any changes to flight times, passengers will be notified by their airlines.”
