British Airways canceled one in seven flights on Monday, with 100 short-haul flights grounded. The airline has suspended arrivals between 13:45 and 14:20 and departures between 15:05 and 16:45, when ceremonial processions will take place. No flights will take off or land at Heathrow between 11.40am. and 12:10 p.m. to ensure that the two minutes’ silence is observed at the end of the funeral. It has also emerged that the Government is poised to intervene to run rail services between London and Manchester to allow thousands more people from the North West to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth, with trains run by Network Rail complete with old-fashioned close doors. On Monday, as a four-day stay in state draws to a close at 6.30am, people will descend on London and Windsor to honor a Queen who has served her Commonwealth for 70 years. The Earl Marshal described the task of organizing the most-watched state funeral in history as “humiliating and terrifying”. He said: “Of course, these events are taking place against a backdrop of an outpouring of grief, affection and gratitude from people in the UK, the Commonwealth and around the world – all united in paying tribute to the Queen’s life of dedicated service. “The King has once again asked me to convey the sincere gratitude of His Majesty and his family for your continued support.” He added: “The events of the last few days are a reminder of the strength of our constitution, a system of government that is in many ways the envy of the world. “The respect, admiration and affection with which the Queen has been held makes our work both humbling and terrifying – an honor and a great responsibility.”
