Breaking News! Flights canceled, a shocking announcement from Heathrow Authorities

With Queen Elizabeth’s state funeral, Heathrow Airport is altering 15% of its schedule on Monday. According to the report, this ensures that the skies above London remain quiet during the events.

One will cancel one hundred flights on British Airways and four on Virgin Atlantic. A Friday air traffic control strike in France will inconvenience thousands of passengers. Not only flights to and from France will be canceled, but also flights flying over it.

Confusions around Heathrow airport

In preparation for and following the two-minute silence at the end of the funeral on Monday, Heathrow said takeoffs and landings would be delayed by 15 minutes. The hearse procession will begin promptly at 13:45 BST and end at 14:20 BST.

The ceremonial procession via the Long Walk will begin promptly at 15:03 BST and end at 16:45 BST. In support of the committal service in St George’s Chapel, departures will be reduced between 16:45 and 21:00 BST. A flight diversion will also surround the private family service and interment to minimize noise.

According to the airport’s statement, “as a mark of respect, airport operations will be altered accordingly at certain locations on Monday to avoid noise disruption.” There are no legal rights for air passengers stranded on Monday because of Heathrow’s changes to be compensated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). It is likely that these circumstances will be considered extraordinary.

The airlines, however, are rebooking or refunding customers. When multiple flights operate on the same route in Europe, British Airways has seen cancellations on short-haul flights, and it is adding larger aircraft to help customers rebook. BA’s long-haul flights will not be impacted, but some will be rescheduled.

Also Read: Queen Elizabeth II: The longest-reigning monarch will always be known for her unwavering duties and service

Announcement from Heathrow officials

In addition, Virgin Atlantic apologized for any inconvenience that may have occurred. There will be alternative same-day services available for passengers on the affected flights between Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Heathrow or passengers can rebook for a later date, or request a refund, according to a spokesperson. To minimize the impact of these restrictions on passengers, the airport and airlines are working closely with NATS, which provides air navigation services.

It is recommended that passengers use public transport rather than drive to the airport because the roads surrounding it will be extremely congested. Additional staff will be on hand at terminals to assist passengers. A one-minute silence will take place at Heathrow on Sunday at 20:00, followed by a screening of the Queen’s funeral on Monday and the closure of non-essential outlets. Restaurants, cafes, pubs, and other “essential” stores will remain open.

How the French strike affects the passengers

The French air traffic control strike on Friday is also expected to affect tens of thousands of passengers. Approximately 80,000 passengers were affected by the cancellations of 420 Ryanair flights over France. Air France will only operate 45% of its short-haul flights, while EasyJet is canceling 76 flights.

British Airways will cancel 22 flights. As inflation soars and recruitment is a concern, the SNCTA air traffic control union voted to walk out. It operates more than 3,000 flights daily, a lot for a low-cost carrier like Ryanair.

Passengers affected by the cancellation have been notified. In an interview with CNN folks, Neal McMahon, Ryanair’s operations director, said the disruption of travel plans for thousands of European citizens was “inexplicable.” In his view, it is inexcusable why passengers who are neither traveling to nor from France are disrupted.

French law protects domestic flights within the country but not those that fly over it. A tiny French air traffic control union repeatedly holds European passengers hostage, so it’s time the European Union stepped in to protect overflights.

List of affected airlines

Ryanair asked French air traffic controllers to supervise flights over other European countries to ease the impact. In response to a request from French authorities, EasyJet has canceled flights.

EasyJet: “While this is outside of our control, we would like to apologize to our customers for any inconvenience they may experience.”

A total of 22 flights will be canceled by British Airways, including some flying over France to and from Heathrow and some additional delays.

Airlines from all French airports are being asked to cut their Friday schedules by 50% by the French civil aviation authority – DGAC. According to Air France, 45% of short-haul and medium-haul flights will be disrupted, and 90% of long-haul flights will be canceled.

French airlines will have to avoid the country’s airspace due to the flight cuts, according to the DGAC. Europe’s summer traffic was severely disrupted by strikes across the aviation industry, including workers on the ground and in the cabin seeking wage increases amid high inflation. The Charles De Gaulle airport was closed and delayed due to several strikes by firefighters and staff this month.

Dakota Cameron

Dakota Cameron is a seasoned web content writer and covers the Hollywood movies for the MovieThop Website
Ms. Cameron began his professional life as a freelance blogger. Later, he worked for Witbe as a content writer for two years. His interests include blogging, reading, movies and travel.
Ms. Cameron graduated in Journalism and Mass Communication from University State of Georgia University. He is fluent in French, Spanish, and other languages.