Luton Airport fire – live: Flights suspended for most of day as 40,000 passengers affected
Airport suspends all flights until 3pm on Wednesday as up to 1,200 cars damaged in fire
Tfoso
Simon Calder provides update on Luton airport fire as travellers hospitalised
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Up to 40,000 passengers have been affected by flight cancellations after a large fire broke out at one of London’s Luton Airport’s car parks.
The airport has now suspended all flights until at least 3pm, as firefighters remain at the site of blaze that broke out just before 9pm.
The newly-built car park building at the airport’s Terminal 2 has partially collapsed, the Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said. It was not known if any passengers were trapped on the tarmac, inside the airport or in the Terminal 2 car park.
The fire service said it was called to the incident just before 9pm and over 10 fire engines were at the scene. It added that 80 per cent of one of the car park’s third floors was impacted by the blaze.
Up to 1,200 vehicles may have been in the car park at the time of the fire and subsequently damaged.
In a statement posted to X on Wednesday morning the airport added: “Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport at this time as access remains severely restricted.”
40,000 passengers affected at Luton
The number of passengers affected is thought to be around 40,000, Simon Calder reports.
Luton Airport have suspended all flights until 3pm, the airport said in a statement on X.
Emergency services are still at the site of the blaze, which began at 9pm last night in newly built Terminal 2 car park.
It was not known if any passengers were trapped on the tarmac, inside the airport or in the car park, but 1,200 vehicles are thought to be damaged.
Britain Luton Airport Fire
(Molly Bullard)
Athena Stavrou11 October 2023 08:36
Luton airport passenger flights resume – first in and out both on Ryanair
The first passenger flight to leave Luton airport for over 18 hours took off shortly before 3.30pm. The Ryanair aircraft was the delayed 1pm from the Bedfordshire airport to Cork.
More than 200 flights have been grounded as a result of the serious fire in a car park adjacent to the main access road and close to the passenger terminal at one of the UK’s five busiest airports.
Britain’s biggest budget airline, easyJet, has made more than 100 flight cancellations due to the prolonged closure of the airport. The carrier will operate only 19 Luton flights today, barely 15 per cent of its planned schedule.
The first arrival, also on Ryanair, is expected to arrive from Barcelona shortly before 4pm.
(PA Archive)
Simon Calder11 October 2023 15:51
Flights resume but tens of thousands affected
Luton Airport has reopened after a vehicle fire caused a car park to collapse, sparking disruption for tens of thousands of passengers.
The Bedfordshire airport suspended flights from when the fire happened at around 9pm on Tuesday until 3pm on Wednesday.
It’s thought that at least 150 flights were cancelled, with almost 30 more diverted to cities as far as Cardiff or Manchester.
Airlines including EasyJet, Ryanair and Wizz Air have all issued statements apologising for the ongoing disruption that was “beyond our control”.
Athena Stavrou11 October 2023 15:44
Insurance industry issues advice to drivers affected by fire
In a statement on the Luton Airport car park fire, a spokesman for the Association of British Insurers said: “Owners of vehicles caught up in this fire will naturally be very concerned. Comprehensive and third-party fire and theft motor insurance policies will cover fire damage.
“Drivers affected should notify any claim to their motor insurer. We will continue to work with our members and Luton Airport to understand the situation, as and when more information becomes available.”
They went on to say that it is “too early to estimate the insured cost of the fire,” and added that “Some travel polices may offer limited cover for delays or any abandonment of travel.”
Athena Stavrou11 October 2023 15:04
Watch: First flames of car park inferno
An alleged video of the Luton Airport car park fire from inside the building has surfaced.
Originally posted to Instagram, the footage appears to show flames engulfing cars hours before the structure partially collapsed.
Watch below:
Flames engulf car hours before Luton Airport car park partially collapsed
Athena Stavrou11 October 2023 14:45
Woman forced to leave airport without her car
A woman whose car is stuck in a car park at Luton Airport has told how she saw a fire take hold in a multi-storey soon after her flight landed.
Cristina Cristea, 25, had been at her sister’s wedding in Romania and landed back at Luton at around 8pm on Tuesday, hearing sirens afterwards.
“By the time we came out of the airport it was 9.10pm and we heard more noises and saw flames,” said Ms Cristea, of Towcester, Northamptonshire. She said her car is stuck in terminal car park one, next to car park two where the fire broke out.
Ms Cristea, who has two jobs at a dry cleaners and at a restaurant, said she had missed a day of work and was told around lunchtime that no cars would be able to come out of the car park for the next three hours.
“At first we thought it was shotguns or something as we couldn’t see any flames, then we saw what happened,” she said.
“Slowly, slowly they blocked all the access.” She said she paid to stay in a local hotel overnight. Speaking from a grass bank in view of the car park on Wednesday, she said: “Thank God our car isn’t affected.”
Workers are constructing a new exit ramp to get cars out.
Athena Stavrou11 October 2023 14:21
Proposed strike cancelled after fire
A planned strike by cleaners and parking attendants at Luton Airport has been suspended because of the fire which has halted flights.
Members of Unite employed by a cleaning contractor were due walk out for five days from Saturday, while parking attendants were due to strike for a week from Friday.
Tens of thousands of airline passengers suffered disruption on Wednesday, with Luton Airport closed after a vehicle fire caused a car park to collapse.
Athena Stavrou11 October 2023 14:00
No room at the (Holiday) Inn – or any other hotels in the Luton area
Airport hotels in the Luton area are reportedly fully booked as passengers remain unceratin of their travel plans.
The Luton Airport Holiday Inn had this sign posted on their door.
No room at the (Holiday) Inn – or any other hotels in the Luton area
(Independent)
Athena Stavrou11 October 2023 13:40
First passengers re-entering airport
Luton Airport said it expects flights to resume at 3pm and passengers are now re-entering the terminal.
They said in a statement: “Following last night’s car fire in Terminal Car Park 2, emergency services have now downgraded the incident but remain on the scene as a precaution.
“The teams have worked hard to get the airport operational, with the first passengers now re-entering the terminal and the first flights expected to depart from 3pm.
“For those arriving by car, the long and mid-stay car parks are fully operational, and a temporary drop-off area has been established in the mid-stay car park.
“For those travelling to the airport by rail, the Dart shuttle remains out of service with replacement buses in operation.
“Additional staff remain on hand to assist passengers across the airport.”
(PA)
(PA Archive)
Athena Stavrou11 October 2023 13:17
Airlines release statements after car park inferno
Major airlines EasyJet, Ryanair and Wizz Air have all released statements on Wednesday afternoon ahead of Luton Airport’s attempts to reopen.
An EasyJet spokesperson said their flights were “currently unable to operate as planned” and say they are doing “all possible” to minimise the impact on customers.
Meanwhile, Ryanair say that affected passenfers will be advised via email, Push and SMS as soon as possible but “regret to advise passengers of possible delays or cancellations on flights to/from Luton.”
Wizz Air similarly told customers that they would be provided updates on their flight via email and SMS and apologised for the situation that was “beyond our control”.
Flights are expected to begin departing from Luton Airport at 3pm today.
(PA Archive)
Athena Stavrou11 October 2023 13:15
