British Airways is set to cancel 100 flights and reschedule others on Monday 19 September in an effort to reduce noise during Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral and committal service.
The UK carrier said in a statement that skies around West London will be closed at certain moments during the day “as a mark of respect to Her Majesty” and as a result “we have reduced our schedule and some flights will be re-timed to accommodate this”.
After an earlier warning of possible flight disruption during funeral arrangements, Heathrow on Thursday (15 September) said operations to and from the airport will be subject to "appropriate changes in order to avoid noise disruption at certain locations at specific times on Monday".
About 15 per cent of Heathrow’s flight schedule will likely be affected, according to a Bloomberg report, which cites no aircraft movements between 11:40 and 12:10, and no arrivals between 13:45 and 14:20 during the procession of the Queen’s hearse. Departures will stop for 1 hour 40 minutes from 15:05 as the procession approaches Windsor Castle, and will be limited until 21:00 when the service concludes.
Passengers affected by schedule changes will be contacted directly by airlines, according to a statement issued by the airport, which went on to warn passengers not to “turn up to the airport” without a confirmed seat on a flight.
Roads around Heathrow will also be closed on Monday, with the airport advising travellers to use alternative routes such as the Piccadilly and Elizabeth Lines, which will be operating regular services on Monday, or Heathrow Express, which will be running additional services.
Non-essential shops at the airport will be closed on Monday and the Queen’s funeral will be broadcast on screens throughout the terminals. A one-minute silence will also be observed at 20:00 on Sunday 18 September as a National Moment of Reflection.