Heathrow Flights Halted To Avoid Noise During Funeral

About 35,000 passengers due to fly to and from Heathrow airport on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday are learning that their flights have been cancelled or changed.

- Simon Calder

Around 200 flights are expected to be grounded, the vast majority on Monday.

Aircraft movements at the UK’s busiest airport will be halted from 11.40am to 12.10 pm on Monday, around the two-minute silence to honour the late Queen. Between 1.45pm and 2.20 pm, no arrivals will be allowed during the procession of Her Majesty’s hearse.

Departures will be more significantly affected. Between 3.05 pm and 4.45 pm, no departures will be permitted. Normally 68 flights would take off during this spell. The corresponding inbound flights will also be grounded.

From 4.45pm, flightpaths will be diverted around Windsor Castle to minimise noise during the private family service and interment. Around 15 per cent of Heathrow’s schedule will be altered, which is equivalent to a moderate weather event.

A spokesperson for the airport said: “As a mark of respect, 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. In order to observe these moments on Monday, airlines will need to adjust their schedules accordingly, which will mean some changes to flights.