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London Heathrow Airport
- IATA/ICAO Code:
- LHR-EGLL
- Country:
- United Kingdom
- CEO:
- John Holland-Kaye
- Passenger Count :
- 19,392,178 (2021)
- Runways :
- 09L/27R - 3,902m (12,802ft) | 09R/27L - 3,660m (12,008ft)
- Terminals:
- Terminal 2 | Terminal 3 | Terminal 4 | Terminal 5
Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II last week, the UK is gearing up for her funeral on Monday. With the coffin having been flown down from Edinburgh to London yesterday, this afternoon will see it undertake a ceremonial procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, with air traffic being impacted as a result.
Silence over London
In order to reflect the procession's somber mood, the skies above London will fall silent as the Queen's coffin and its corresponding procession make their way through the streets of the British capital. Those who have visited the city will know that it lies directly under the approach path for Heathrow's westerly operations.
As such, an average day in London will see landing aircraft pass overhead at regular intervals, contributing to the city's bustling ambiance. However, with the capital expected to fall silent as the procession passes through, operational changes will have to be made in order for compliance on the aviation side of things. Addressing the matter, London Heathrow Airport (LHR) stated online that:
"On Wednesday 14th September, some flights between 13:50-15:40 will be disrupted to ensure silence over central London as the ceremonial procession moves from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall. Passengers affected by this will be contacted by their airline."
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Further disruption expected
Given LHR's busy nature, 110 minutes of restricted flying will, as the airport notes, likely cause disruption. This comes as the latest blow to passengers using the airport, which remains under a daily capacity cap. This limit aims to prevent further operational chaos, which arose this year due to it being unable to run at full capacity as air travel enjoys a post-pandemic boom.
The full extent of the disruption will become clear over the course of the afternoon. Needless to say, while the announcement was met with a degree of sympathy on social media, it also understandably provoked frustration among affected passengers. At the time of writing, FlightAware noted that 11 departures and nine arrivals had been canceled at Heathrow today, with dozens of delays on top.
The airport also noted that further (as yet unspecified) operational changes are anticipated on Monday, when the Queen's funeral takes place. Heathrow apologized for the disruption, adding that it is "[working] to limit the impact on the upcoming events." Due to its proximity to Windsor, it is advising passengers to travel to the airport by rail/tube to avoid corresponding congestion on the area's roads.
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Extensive aviation interest
The events surrounding the Queen's funeral have generated extensive interest among the aviation community. For example, yesterday saw millions of enthusiasts take to the internet to track the flight of her coffin from Edinburgh Airport (EDI) to London's RAF Northolt, which took place using a Boeing C-17 Globemaster.
Another royal family member took a similar flight last week, when the new King Charles III flew down from Aberdeen Airport (ABZ) to Northolt with his wife Camilla onboard an Embraer private jet. This followed a flurry of activity in and out of the north Scottish hub, as news of the Queen's situation spread.
What do you make of the expected disruption due to the closure of London's skies? have your travel plans been affected? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Sources: FlightAware, London Heathrow Airport