British Airways has axed 100 flights on the day of the Queen’s funeral. The flight cancellations will primarily affect high frequency European routes, a spokesperson told Travel Gossip.  

BA said the cancellation of 50 pairs of flights was due to air traffic restrictions put in place for the funeral, which will be held in Westminster Abbey in central London, followed by a private burial at Windsor Castle.

The funeral will begin at 11am after an early morning procession. A committal service will also be held afterwards

Other airlines are also likely to cancel flights to and from Heathrow on Monday. According to The Independent, Virgin Atlantic has cancelled has four US flights to and from Heathrow and postponed one other.

All flights in and out of Heathrow will stop between 11.40 and 12.10pm during two minutes’ silence at the end of the Westminster Abbey service, and there will be no landings from 1.45pm to 2.20pm or departures from 3.05pm to 4.45pm as the Queen’s hearse proceeds out of London to Windsor Castle. Departures will be further limited from 4.45pm to 9pm during the private family funeral service and burial.

Heathrow has also warned travellers not to drive to the airport if their flight is going ahead on Monday.

Some roads around the airport will be closed and others are expected to be extremely busy. Passengers are being advised to use public transport instead. Both the Piccadilly Tube line and Elizabeth Line railway service will be operating as normal. 

Heathrow said the flight disruption on Monday was necessary as a mark of respect, to avoid noise disruption at certain locations at specific times.

It said in a statement: “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.”

Other changes that can be expected at the airport include:

• Observing the National Moment of Reflection with a one-minute silence at 8pm on Sunday 18 September.
• ShowingThe Queen’s funeral on screens at the airport on Monday 19 September.
• Closing non-essential shops on Monday. Essential retailers, such as WHSmith, Boots and Travelex, and restaurants, cafes and pubs will remain open.

Heathrow also cancelled flights on Wednesday to meet air traffic restrictions ensuring silence over central London as the Queen’s procession moved her coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall.