100 flights axed to keep skies clear as Heathrow restricts arrivals and departures on Monday
British Airways has cancelled one in seven flights on Monday to ensure the skies above London are quiet during Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.
Some 100 short-haul services have been axed following detailed discussions with Heathrow airport. The national flag carrier typically operates around 700 flights a day from Britain’s busiest airport.
Passengers affected will be contacted and offered the opportunity to rebook their flight with BA or another airline, or opt for a refund.
The BA cancellations are part of a wider operation to ensure events are not overshadowed by planes flying over the capital.
No flights will take off or land at Heathrow between 11:40am and 12:10pm to ensure the two-minute silence at the end of the funeral service can be observed.
Arrivals will be halted between 1.45pm and 2.20pm to support the procession of Her Majesty’s hearse. And departures will be suspended between 3.05pm and 4.45pm as a ceremonial procession moves down the Long Walk to Windsor Castle.
A spokesman for the airport said: “Heathrow and airlines are working closely with NATS to minimise the impact of these restrictions on passengers. In order to observe these moments on Monday, airlines will need to adjust their schedules accordingly, which will mean some changes to flights.”
A spokesman for British Airways said: “As a mark of respect for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the day of her State Funeral, we have reduced our schedule and re-timed some flights at Heathrow to ensure the skies are quiet at certain moments.”
Flights will also be diverted around Windsor Castle on Monday to minimise noise during Queen Elizabeth’s private family service and interment.
We rely on advertising to help fund our award-winning journalism.
We urge you to turn off your ad blocker for The Telegraph website so that you can continue to access our quality content in the future.
Thank you for your support.
Need help?
Visit our adblocking instructions page.