The state visit of President Trump to the UK could disrupt some flights over the next few days.
With security being extra tight, airspace will be closed in certain areas and this comes just a day after the UK was hit by severe flight chaos. After unfavorable weather conditions on Monday led to massive travel disruptions throughout Europe, with London Heathrow, Amsterdam Schiphol, Munich International, and Charles de Gaulle airports experiencing more than a hundred flight cancellations and hundreds of delays.
Weather-related disruptions hit major airlines such as Lufthansa, United, British Airways, KLM, and SAS, resulting in major delays for travelers. With hundreds of passengers stuck and delays persisting all day, this large-scale disruption serves to point up the susceptibility of air travel to bad weather, Trump’s visit will have an impact.
The President of the United States is expected to touch down at Stansted Airport this Tuesday evening, which means severe airspace restrictions round the airport. Donald and Melania Trump will arrive at a private terminal at London Stansted before heading to Windsor Castle on Wednesday, where they will be greeted by the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Thousands of police officers, a fleet of drones and armoured vehicles are set to be deployed across Windsor in anticipation of an unprecedented second state visit from US President Donald Trump and airspace will also be closed. There will be temporary airspace restrictions enforced over Windsor from Tuesday, which includes a ban on drones and small aircraft.
The no-fly zone excludes police drones, which will be widely used to enforce the rules and be “an eye in the sky”. Each police drone can fly up to 120 metres and will stay in the air for 30 minutes at a time. Thames Valley Police has described the drone operation for the US President’s visit as “one of the larger ones”. Police have confirmed “significant airspace restrictions” are being put in place as part of a major security operation during Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK.