BA cancels one in seven flights during Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.
British Airways has confirmed that it will cancel 100 flights to and from Heathrow Airport on Monday, in order “to ensure quiet skies” over the Queen’s state funeral.
There will be no aircraft movements for 30 minutes from 11.40 am and 12.10 pm to avoid disrupting a two-minute silence at the end of the funeral, and no arrivals for 35 minutes starting at 1.45 pm during the procession of the Queen’s hearse.
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Departures will be suspended between 3.05 pm and 4.45 pm as a ceremonial procession moves down the Long Walk to Windsor Castle.
Passengers affected will be contacted and offered the opportunity to rebook their flight with BA or another airline, or opt for a refund.
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.”
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“Passengers affected by these changes will be contacted directly by their airlines about their travel plans and the options available to them.
“Heathrow will have additional colleagues in the terminals to support passengers on their journeys and will be regularly updating its website with passenger advice.
“Roads around the airport are expected to be extremely busy and passengers are encouraged to avoid travelling by car to the airport, and to use public transport instead.
“We apologise in advance for the inconvenience some passengers will experience as a result of these exceptional circumstances.”
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.”
Virgin Atlantic has cancelled four US flights to and from Heathrow and moved one more several hours earlier.
