Is YOUR flight affected by the London Luton car park fire? What you need to know after huge inferno that caused £20m structure to collapse

Around 25,000 airline passengers are suffering disruption as London Luton Airport remained closed today after a vehicle fire caused a car park to collapse.

More than 140 flights due to take off or land at the Bedfordshire airport today have been cancelled since the fire started shortly before 9pm last night.

Flights are suspended until at least 3pm this afternoon, with passengers booked on flights due to depart before then advised not to go to the airport.

Here, MailOnline looks at the key questions surrounding the fire, and how it could affect your flight.

Luton Airport remains closed this morning after a vehicle fire caused a car park to collapse

Luton Airport has been closed until 3pm today after a fire ripped through a multi-storey car park, causing it to collapse and destroying hundreds of cars.

How many flights have been cancelled?

More than 140 flights at Luton Airport have been cancelled so far today due to the fire – including 73 departures and 70 arrivals.

Which airlines have been affected?

The worst-hit airline was easyJet, which has its base at the hub and was forced to axe 79 flights, including 39 departures and 40 arrivals.

Wizz Air had to cancel 25 departures and 25 arrivals, while Ryanair axed eight departures and five arrivals. One Air Hamburg departure was also cancelled.

Have any flights been diverted?

Yes, 11 arrivals early this morning were diverted to other UK airports including London Stansted, Manchester, Liverpool, Cardiff and Bristol.

When did the fire begin at Luton Airport?

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service received the first report about the blaze at 8.47pm and its first two appliances arrived at the scene just under ten minutes later.

Where did the fire begin at Luton Airport?

The fire was on the third floor of the airport’s new £20million terminal car park two.

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said the fire would have started in a vehicle that arrived at about the time the fire started.

What was the cause of the fire?

The cause of the blaze has not been confirmed, but Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service has confirmed it was called to a ‘fire involving a car’.

Did the fire start in an electric car?

No. Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service chief Andy Hopkinson said it is thought the blaze started with a diesel car, before spreading through the car park.

Is the fire now out?

Yes. Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said in an update at 8.45am today that crews have now controlled and extinguished the fire.

Four crews and an aerial appliance remained at the scene this morning. At its peak, there were 15 fire appliances and more than 100 firefighters battling the blaze.

When will flights resume at Luton Airport?

Luton Airport said emergency services remain at the scene and flights would be suspended until 3pm today, having initially been paused until 12pm.

Passengers booked on flights due to depart before 3pm are advised not to go to the airport.

Was anyone injured in the fire?

Four firefighters and a member of airport staff were taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation and another firefighter was treated at the scene.

What has Luton Airport said about the fire?

In a statement issued on social media shortly after 7am today, Luton Airport said: ‘Our priority remains supporting the emergency services and the safety of our passengers and staff. Therefore, we have now taken the decision to suspend all flights until 3pm on Wednesday 11th October.

‘Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport at this time, as access remains severely restricted.’

Are trains and buses also affected?

East Midlands Railway and Thameslink services were still stopping at Luton Airport Parkway station this morning, although National Rail issued a warning to passengers, saying: ‘Please do not attempt to travel to Luton Airport.’

Services on the Luton Dart, the new £290million cable car shuttle that takes passengers from the station to the airport, were suspended due to the fire.

The Uno bus service in Hertfordshire said there was disruption across the 610 and X10 routes due to ‘significant traffic delays around the Luton area’.

Centrebus added that some of its Luton services were ‘currently heavily delayed due a number of road closures in Luton, following the Luton Airport fire’.

How many cars have been affected?

The car park has a capacity of just over 1,900 cars and Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service estimated that up to 1,500 cars were in the affected car park.

The fire service said the severity of the blaze had caused ‘significant structural collapse’. They added: ‘It is believed that up to 1,200 vehicles may have been in the car park at the time of the fire and subsequently damaged.’

Can I park my car elsewhere at Luton?

A check on Luton Airport’s official website today found there was no availability for parking before Friday, October 27 – with a space at the Terminal 1 Car Park available for £137.99 for the week from that date.

The website, which had a wait time of eight minutes just to enter it this morning amid heightened demand, said the site is just a four-minute walk to the terminal, and is the closest car park to the terminal entrance.

The fire took place at the airport’s Terminal Car Park 2 – and no spaces were listed on that site today, even when looking one year in advance.

Demand will now increase for rival operators such as Purple Parking, for which the cheapest price available through its website for a week from October 27 was £170 for a ‘meet-and-greet’ service.

Is there a full list of all the cancellations at Luton?

Here is a list of all the cancelled departures and arrivals at Luton Airport today:

Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk

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