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:
LTN DEPARTURES CANCELLED TODAY TIME CODE AIRPORT AIRLINE 5:50 AM W92066 Lublin (LUZ) Wizz Air UK 5:55 AM U22335 Malaga (AGP) easyJet 5:55 AM W94481 Bratislava (BTS) Wizz Air UK 6:00 AM U22329 Palma de Mallorca (PMI) easyJet 6:00 AM U22493 Naples (NAP) easyJet 6:00 AM U22511 Amsterdam (AMS) easyJet 6:00 AM W95107 Poprad (TAT) Wizz Air UK 6:05 AM U22313 Alicante (ALC) easyJet 6:05 AM U22433 Paris (CDG) easyJet 6:10 AM U22387 Chania (CHQ) easyJet 6:10 AM W92502 Riga (RIX) Wizz Air UK 6:15 AM FR8425 Alicante (ALC) Ryanair 6:15 AM U22635 Reykjavik (KEF) easyJet 6:20 AM U22457 Porto (OPO) easyJet 6:20 AM U22601 Berlin (BER) easyJet 6:20 AM W94457 Brasov (GHV) Wizz Air UK 6:30 AM FR3452 Murcia (RMU) Ryanair 6:40 AM U22451 Faro (FAO) easyJet 6:40 AM FR331 Dublin (DUB) Ryanair 6:45 AM W93700 Iasi (IAS) Wizz Air UK 6:50 AM W94467 Athens (ATH) Wizz Air UK 6:55 AM U22425 Nice (NCE) easyJet 6:55 AM U22533 Geneva (GVA) easyJet 7:00 AM U2609 Glasgow (GLA) easyJet 7:00 AM U22323 Barcelona (BCN) easyJet 7:00 AM U22459 Lisbon (LIS) easyJet 7:00 AM W94499 Istanbul (IST) Wizz Air UK 7:05 AM W92604 Prague (PRG) Wizz Air UK 7:10 AM U22489 Pisa (PSA) easyJet 7:10 AM U22531 Zurich (ZRH) easyJet 7:15 AM FR3456 Beziers (BZR) Ryanair 7:15 AM U2645 Belfast (BHD) easyJet 7:15 AM U22581 Tel Aviv (TLV) easyJet 7:15 AM U22591 Pafos (PFO) easyJet 7:40 AM U22395 Corfu (CFU) easyJet 7:40 AM U22491 Catania (CTA) easyJet 7:45 AM W95125 Palma de Mallorca (PMI) Wizz Air UK 7:50 AM W94471 Tirana (TIA) Wizz Air UK 8:00 AM W61802 Wroclaw (WRO) Wizz Air 8:05 AM W63302 Cluj-Napoca (CLJ) Wizz Air 8:15 AM W65002 Krakow (KRK) Wizz Air 8:20 AM W62202 Budapest (BUD) Wizz Air 8:20 AM W63652 Iasi (IAS) Wizz Air 8:25 AM W61002 Katowice (KTW) Wizz Air 8:25 AM W61302 Warsaw (WAW) Wizz Air 8:35 AM W61602 Gdansk (GDN) Wizz Air 8:35 AM W63606 Suceava (SCV) Wizz Air 8:35 AM W64302 Sofia (SOF) Wizz Air 8:40 AM U22337 Malaga (AGP) easyJet 8:40 AM W68002 Vilnius (VNO) Wizz Air 8:45 AM W63992 Craiova (CRA) Wizz Air 8:50 AM U2302 Edinburgh (EDI) easyJet 8:50 AM U2402 Glasgow (GLA) easyJet 8:55 AM AHO373 Inverness (INV) Air Hamburg 9:00 AM W63002 Bucharest (OTP) Wizz Air 9:25 AM U22515 Amsterdam (AMS) easyJet 9:40 AM FR6645 Malaga (AGP) Ryanair 9:40 AM U2621 Inverness (INV) easyJet 10:00 AM FR842 Kerry (KIR) Ryanair 10:30 AM W64459 Larnaca (LCA) Wizz Air 11:40 AM U22575 Split (SPU) easyJet 11:50 AM FR8142 Knock (NOC) Ryanair 12:00 PM U22423 Bordeaux (BOD) easyJet 12:30 PM U22583 Tel Aviv (TLV) easyJet 12:35 PM U22453 Faro (FAO) easyJet 12:45 PM U22321 Mahon (MAH) easyJet 12:45 PM U22517 Amsterdam (AMS) easyJet 1:25 PM U22537 Geneva (GVA) easyJet 1:50 PM U2601 Edinburgh (EDI) easyJet 2:20 PM U2617 Aberdeen (ABZ) easyJet 2:30 PM U22431 Lyon (LYS) easyJet 3:25 PM U218 Belfast (BFS) easyJet 5:35 PM FR338 Dublin (DUB) Ryanair LUTON ARRIVALS CANCELLED TODAY TIME CODE AIRPORT AIRLINE 1:30 AM W94452 Tel Aviv (TLV) Wizz Air UK 7:15 AM W61801 Wroclaw (WRO) Wizz Air 7:15 AM W63301 Cluj-Napoca (CLJ) Wizz Air 7:30 AM W63651 Iasi (IAS) Wizz Air 7:35 AM W61001 Katowice (KTW) Wizz Air 7:35 AM W65001 Krakow (KRK) Wizz Air 7:40 AM W61301 Warsaw (WAW) Wizz Air 7:40 AM W62201 Budapest (BUD) Wizz Air 7:50 AM W61601 Gdansk (GDN) Wizz Air 7:50 AM W63605 Suceava (SCV) Wizz Air 7:50 AM W64301 Sofia (SOF) Wizz Air 7:50 AM W68001 Vilnius (VNO) Wizz Air 8:00 AM W63991 Craiova (CRA) Wizz Air 8:10 AM U215 Belfast (BFS) easyJet 8:15 AM W63001 Bucharest (OTP) Wizz Air 8:20 AM U2301 Edinburgh (EDI) easyJet 8:20 AM U2401 Glasgow (GLA) easyJet 8:55 AM U22512 Amsterdam (AMS) easyJet 9:10 AM U22434 Paris (CDG) easyJet 9:35 AM FR332 Dublin (DUB) Ryanair 9:40 AM W64460 Larnaca (LCA) Wizz Air 10:05 AM U2610 Glasgow (GLA) easyJet 10:40 AM U22602 Berlin (BER) easyJet 11:00 AM U22534 Geneva (GVA) easyJet 11:15 AM W94482 Bratislava (BTS) Wizz Air UK 11:20 AM U22532 Zurich (ZRH) easyJet 11:25 AM FR3457 Beziers (BZR) Ryanair 11:40 AM U22330 Palma de Mallorca (PMI) easyJet 11:40 AM U22426 Nice (NCE) easyJet 11:40 AM W95108 Poprad (TAT) Wizz Air UK 11:45 AM U22458 Porto (OPO) easyJet 11:55 AM W92065 Lublin (LUZ) Wizz Air UK 12:00 PM U22314 Alicante (ALC) easyJet 12:15 PM U22324 Barcelona (BCN) easyJet 12:20 PM U22490 Pisa (PSA) easyJet 12:30 PM U22336 Malaga (AGP) easyJet 12:30 PM U22494 Naples (NAP) easyJet 12:30 PM W92501 Riga (RIX) Wizz Air UK 12:35 PM W92603 Prague (PRG) Wizz Air UK 12:40 PM U22516 Amsterdam (AMS) easyJet 12:55 PM U22452 Faro (FAO) easyJet 12:55 PM U22636 Reykjavik (KEF) easyJet 1:05 PM U2622 Inverness (INV) easyJet 1:10 PM U22460 Lisbon (LIS) easyJet 1:25 PM W94458 Brasov (GHV) Wizz Air UK 1:30 PM FR843 Kerry (KIR) Ryanair 1:50 PM U2646 Belfast (BHD) easyJet 2:05 PM W93699 Iasi (IAS) Wizz Air UK 2:07 PM U29018 Manchester (MAN) easyJet 2:45 PM W94472 Tirana (TIA) Wizz Air UK 2:50 PM U22396 Corfu (CFU) easyJet 2:55 PM U217 Belfast (BFS) easyJet 2:55 PM U22492 Catania (CTA) easyJet 3:00 PM U22388 Chania (CHQ) easyJet 3:10 PM W94468 Athens (ATH) Wizz Air UK 3:20 PM FR8143 Knock (NOC) Ryanair 3:30 PM W94500 Istanbul (IST) Wizz Air UK 3:45 PM U22518 Amsterdam (AMS) easyJet 4:00 PM U22424 Bordeaux (BOD) easyJet 4:55 PM U2602 Edinburgh (EDI) easyJet 5:25 PM U22592 Pafos (PFO) easyJet 5:35 PM U22576 Split (SPU) easyJet 5:45 PM U2618 Aberdeen (ABZ) easyJet 6:20 PM U22322 Mahon (MAH) easyJet 6:20 PM U22432 Lyon (LYS) easyJet 6:40 PM U22582 Tel Aviv (TLV) easyJet 6:50 PM U22454 Faro (FAO) easyJet 8:30 PM FR340 Dublin (DUB) Ryanair 10:10 PM U22538 Geneva (GVA) easyJet 11:55 PM U22584 Tel Aviv (TLV) easyJetSource: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk
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