Heathrow to Shut Down During Queen’s Funeral Procession

Heathrow International Airport in London will pay its respects to Queen Elizabeth II by cancelling several flights and briefly shutting down its airspace during Her Majesty’s funeral procession on Monday.

The airport estimates about 15 percent of the flights scheduled to fly into and out of Heathrow on September 19, including 100 British Airways flights and four on Virgin Atlantic, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

The Queen, 96, died on September 8. She had been the head of the monarchy for 70 years. Heathrow’s decision is to ensure that the skies are quiet during the times of the procession, including delaying flights for 15 minutes before and after the two-minute moment of silence for the funeral cortege.

There will be no arrivals during the procession between 1:45 p.m. and 2:20 p.m. GMT (London is five hours ahead of Eastern time in the U.S.), and no departures between 3:03 p.m. and 4:45 p.m.

The BBC noted that departures will be reduced from 4:45 p.m. to 9 p.m., and flights will also be diverted around the airspace over Windsor Castle “to minimize noise during the private family service and interment.”

Not only is Heathrow’s decision respectful of the somber day, but it is also a nod to one of the most well-traveled heads of state in the world.