Airspace closed and flights cancelled for King Harald's funeral
Photo: Gøran Bohlin / VG
Police are closing the airspace over large parts of eastern Norway from 8 to 10 September, and Norwegian and SAS are cancelling a number of departures. Four F-35 fighter jets will fly over Oslo Cathedral in missing man formation after the ceremony, and the whole of central Oslo will be closed to traffic from 6am to 9pm on Wednesday. Crown Princess Victoria is stranded on Lombok after a volcanic eruption in Indonesia.
Police are closing the airspace over large parts of eastern Norway for the funeral of King Harald V. At the same time Norwegian and SAS are cancelling a number of flights, and the whole of central Oslo will be closed to traffic on Wednesday.
A purple pavilion bearing King Harald V's monogram has been erected outside the main entrance of Oslo Cathedral. Photo: Gøran Bohlin / VG
• Airspace closed for three days
The police are introducing extensive restrictions in the airspace over large parts of eastern Norway. The restrictions apply from 8 to 10 September, the police say in a statement.
During this period the airspace will be closed to all traffic, with the exception of critical civil aviation and scheduled services. The ban covers all types of aircraft, so neither drones nor light aircraft may be flown in the affected areas without special permission.
We would particularly ask drone operators to familiarise themselves with the restrictions and respect them, says National Police Commissioner Håkon Skulstad. He says the airspace measures are one of several steps intended to ensure a safe and predictable event. The Armed Forces are assisting with enforcement.
• Four F-35s in missing man formation
Four F-35 fighter jets will fly over Oslo Cathedral after the funeral ceremony. Photo: Cornelius Poppe / NTB
Four of the Armed Forces' F-35 fighter jets will carry out a flypast over Oslo Cathedral on Wednesday afternoon. The flypast will take place after the funeral ceremony has ended, tentatively between 2.05pm and 2.30pm, the Royal Norwegian Air Force says in a statement.
The so-called missing man formation is an internationally recognised military tribute, in which one aircraft breaks away from the formation and climbs. The empty place in the formation represents the loss, while the aircraft climbing away symbolises the one who is now moving on.
According to the Air Force the flypast is a planned part of the Armed Forces' official participation in the funeral ceremony, and a tribute to King Harald and his many years as King of Norway and Commander-in-Chief. It is subject to the weather.
• Norwegian and SAS cancel departures
Norwegian is cancelling 16 flights on the day of the funeral. Photo: Javad Parsa / NTB
Norwegian has cancelled 16 flights, eight return services between Oslo and Bergen, Trondheim and Stavanger respectively. That is according to Norwegian's press chief Catharina Solli, speaking to TV 2. Passengers have been informed and rebooked onto other flights.
The background is requests from Avinor. In the periods where we expect the greatest concentration of aircraft, we have asked the airlines to reduce traffic, says Avinor communications adviser Camilla Walla to TV 2.
SAS has also cancelled a number of departures on Wednesday, from several of the country's largest cities to Oslo Airport, among them Bergen, Trondheim and Stavanger.
• Crown Princess Victoria stranded on Lombok
Crown Princess Victoria travelling in Indonesia for UNDP. Photo: UNDP
One of the royal guests has also been caught up in the disruption to air travel. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden is stranded on the Indonesian island of Lombok, where several airports are closed following a volcanic eruption in the country.
Crown Princess Victoria is on Lombok, which means it is not possible to fly to Jakarta because of the ash from the volcanic eruption, Emilie Andresen writes in an email to VG. She is a communications adviser at UNDP, the organisation the Crown Princess is travelling with.
The programme the Crown Princess was to have had in the capital Jakarta must therefore be cancelled. We are still planning for the Crown Princess to travel to Oslo to take part in King Harald's funeral, Andresen writes.
• The whole of central Oslo closed off
The map shows the pedestrian zone, the procession route and the closed areas in central Oslo. Photo: City of Oslo / Handout / NTB
On Wednesday 9 September, from 6am to 9pm, the whole of central Oslo will be closed to cars and public transport. Everyone entering the cordoned-off area must go on foot through search points staffed by police, the City of Oslo says.
There will be ten entry points in total leading to the Palace and Oslo Cathedral. Bicycles and scooters are not permitted inside the cordon, and neither are umbrellas.
The city expects large crowds in the centre and advises people to travel to Oslo by public transport.