Quiet skies: Heathrow cancels 100 flights for Queen's funeral

Aircraft will be grounded at Heathrow and kept of of the skies during the Queen's state funeral on Monday. Photo / Nick Fewings, Unsplash

Heathrow Airport has announced it will trim its schedule on Monday 19 September during the Queen's state funeral.

London's main airport said it would cancel over one hundred services out of deference to the late monarch and to ensure quiet skies during the events at Westminster and Windsor.

100 British Airways services and four Virgin Atlantic services are among the cancellations, representing a 15 per cent reduction.

Britain's busiest airport, which is located 8km from Windsor Palace, said in a statement the changes were being made "to minimise noise during the private family service and interment".

Heathrow airport has said that arrivals and departures will be suspended for 15 minutes before and after the two-minute silence.

The UK CAA released a Notam to all pilots under the subject "Mourning and funeral of Her Majesty The Queen" this week. The civil aviation body has been rolling out restrictions to keep quiet skies above the proceedings

"Due to the funeral of Her Majesty The Queen the Secretary of State for Transport has decided that it is necessary in the interests of security to introduce Restriction of Flying Regulations," read the notice.

Drones, helicopters, balloons and other aircraft are also affected by the exclusion zone.

The mourning window: The CAA issued a map of affected airspace, covering Heathrow London's busiest airport. Photo / Supplied, UK CAA

Three restrictions were previously published by the CAA with notice to aircraft to avoid locations including Balmoral Castle, Edinburgh, central London, and central London and Windsor, following the funerary procession.

During the period of mourning from the 9 September to the 19 September the CAA has said no aircraft is to fly below 2500 ft in central London, while the Queen lies in state.

Regal flight disruption

Separately to funeral flight disruption, hundreds of services across Europe are set to be affected by strikes from French Air Traffic control.

This adds a further 518 flight cancellations for services due to fly over France and national carrier Air France said it was running at 45 per cent capacity on short-haul routes.

Yesterday budget-carrier Ryanair said that 80,000 passengers would be affected by French industrial action.