Aer Lingus cancels eight Heathrow flights to ensure silence during queen's funeral

Aer Lingus has said that three Dublin return flights and one Belfast return flight have been affected.

Eight Aer Lingus flights to and from London's Heathrow Airport have been cancelled on Monday to "ensure silence" during the funeral ceremony for Britain's Queen Elizabeth.

More than 100 flights at Heathrow have been cancelled overall, whilst more than 1,000 flights due to take off or land tomorrow afternoon at the airport will be delayed.

The move is being made in order to avoid noise during the two-minute national silence due to be held in Britain shortly before noon tomorrow.

Aer Lingus has said that three Dublin return flights and one Belfast return flight have been affected arising out of the British state ceremony.

The airline says that it has been able "re-accommodate all customers with alternate same-day Aer Lingus services" and that it will result in "minimal disruption to their travel plans".

Customers who were travelling on the impacted flights were able to change their bookings free of charge. Aer Lingus also apologised to customers for any inconvenience caused by the changing schedules at Heathrow Airport.

Check-in problems

The airline also had to apologise to customers again today as some passengers reported issues managing bookings and checking in online.

Aer Lingus said its teams are working to resolve the issue.

"Check-in at all airports remains available for customers travelling today," it stated. "We apologise for the inconvenience."

Disruption to Ryanair flights

It is understood that an unspecified number of Ryanair flights to and from Ireland have also been disrupted arising out of the curtailed schedule at Heathrow tomorrow.

The movement of aircraft at Heathrow will come to a complete stop from 11.40am to 12.10pm tomorrow, during a period set to coincide with the end of the funeral and the observance of a two-minute silence in remembrance of the late queen.

No arrivals will be allowed land in Heathrow between 1.45pm and 2.20pm tomorrow as this will coincide with the procession of the hearse of the late monarch.

No departures will be allowed from between 3.03pm and 4.45pm tomorrow at Heathrow at a time when close to 70 flights would normally take off. This will reduce noise at the ceremonial procession via the Long Walk to Windsor.

Between 4.45pm and 9pm tomorrow, departures from Heathrow will be significantly reduced as the committal service will be taking place at St George's Chapel. Flights will also be diverted around Windsor Castle to minimise noise during the private family service and internment.

Around 50% of cancellations involve British Airways (BA) flights.

It follows a tumultuous period for the European airline industry and the cancellation of hundreds of flights when the French air traffic controllers engaged in a one-day stoppage on Friday. The SNCTA air traffic control union undertook the strike action in France in a dispute over wages and recruitment.

Strikes across the aviation industry caused severe disruption in Europe this summer. Cancellations and delays occurred in July following a strike by staff and firefighters at Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris.