Heathrow Airport observing national silence for Queen's funeral

Heathrow Airport is introducing a variety of measures “as a mark of respect” for the Queen. The Monarch passed away “peacefully” at her estate in Balmoral on Thursday, September 9.
Heathrow Airport is one of the world’s busiest airports and Westminster Abbey and Windsor sit underneath its flight path. For this reason, various flights have been cancelled on the day of the Queen’s funeral to minimise noise disruption.
The airport will also observe a minute’s silence for the Queen, which will take place today at 8pm. A Heathrow Airport spokesperson said that Heathrow will be “supporting the ceremonial aspects for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral at Westminster Abbey and the committal service at Windsor Castle on Monday 19th September 2022.
  This “support” will be undertaken as “a mark of respect”, with operations “subject to appropriate changes in order to avoid noise disturbance at certain locations” on Monday. Changes at the airport include the observation of the national minute’s silence at 8pm on Sunday and the closures of shops on the day of the Queen’s funeral.
   Shops that will remain open include WHSmith, Boots and Travelex. Some restaurants and pubs will also remain open. The airport will also be screening the funeral live on Monday.
     A spokesperson for Heathrow Airport said: “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. Passengers affected by these changes will be contacted directly by their airlines about their travel plans and the options available to them.
   “Passengers who have been notified that their flight has been cancelled, and/or do not have a confirmed seat on a flight, should not turn up to the airport. Heathrow will have additional colleagues in the terminals to support passengers on their journeys and will be regularly updating its website with passenger advice.
  “Roads around the airport are expected to be extremely busy and passengers are encouraged to avoid travelling by car to the airport, and to use public transport instead. 
  Please see tfl.gov.uk for the latest updates on road impacts around the airport. We apologise in advance for the inconvenience some passengers will experience as a result of these exceptional circumstances.”

-B