HEATHROW AIRPORT HAS cancelled several flights today so they do not disturb Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin procession today.

The west London airport said in a statement that “out of respect” for the mourning period it will be making “appropriate alterations to our operation”.

These include flights being disrupted between 1.50pm and 3.40pm today to “ensure silence over central London as the ceremonial procession moves from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall”.

British Airways has cancelled 16 short-haul flights due to the airspace restriction.

More flights are expected to be axed during the Queen’s funeral on Monday.

Heathrow said: “Passengers will be notified by their airlines directly of any changes to flights.

“We anticipate further changes to the Heathrow operation on Monday 19 September, when Her Majesty’s funeral is due to take place, and will communicate those in more detail over coming days.

“We apologise for the disruption these changes cause, as we work to limit the impact on the upcoming events.”

The Civil Aviation Authority has also imposed a restriction on airspace over central London which bans aircraft – including drones – flying below 2,500ft between September 9-19.

Meanwhile, Transport for London – the organisation responsible for the city’s Underground and buses – is facing the “biggest event and challenge” in its history as more than one million people are expected to travel to the centre of London to pay their respects to the queen, according to its boss.

Andy Byford, the organisation’s commissioner, told PA that planning for the queen’s lying in state and funeral is more complicated than the 2012 Olympics as it is “impossible” to accurately predict crowd sizes.

Transport for London is “used to dealing with big crowds” and will take measures such as temporarily restricting access to the busiest Tube stations and directing passengers to other stations to “spread the load”, he said.