Heathrow Airport demonstrated “respect” for the Queen by introducing a set of measures on the day of her funeral. Queen Elizabeth II peacefully passed away on September 8 (Thursday) at her Balmoral estate.
Heathrow Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world. Westminster Abbey and Windsor are located underneath its flight path. So, the airport authorities decided to cancel various flights to minimize noise disruption on the day of the Queen’s funeral.
The Airport Authority decided to observe a “silence for one minute” at 8 pm on Monday for the queen. This was done to show Heathrow’s support for “the ceremonial aspects for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral at Westminster Abbey and the committal service at Windsor Castle on Monday,” a Heathrow Spokesperson mentioned.
For “respect” to the queen, the silence observed led to appropriate changes in the operations for reducing noise at certain locations. Among the changes was a minute’s silence observed at Heathrow Airport at 8 pm. The local shops were also closed.
However, some shops were open including Travelex, WHSmith, Boots, and some restaurants and pubs. Heathrow Airport also showed the funeral through live screening.
Before the day, a Heathrow Spokesperson stated: “Heathrow and Airlines are working together with NATS to ensure minimal impact on passengers due to the restrictions. For observing these moments, airlines will have to adjust their schedules, which will mean some changes to flights. Passengers will be contacted directly by their Airlines about their travel plans and available options.”
Passengers were advised not to show up at the airport if they have received notification about their flight being cancelled or non-confirmation of their seat. Heathrow had more employees working in the terminals and updated its website with advice for passengers to assist travellers.
Passengers were urged to avoid taking personal vehicles to the airport and instead, use public transportation because it was anticipated that the roads around the airport would be severely congested. The most recent information on how nearby roads are affected is available on tfl.gov.uk.