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
- READ MORE – Is this the car that started the London Luton car park fire?
- Follow MailOnline’s liveblog on the Luton car park fire for all the updates
Up to 50,000 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 today after a vehicle fire caused a car park to collapse last night
What has happened at Luton Airport?
Luton Airport has been closed until 3pm today after a fire ripped through a multi-storey car park last night, 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 car park fire – including 73 departures and 70 arrivals, according to FlightRadar 24.
Which airlines have been affected?
The worst-hit airline by the Luton fire today 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.
Burned out cars are pictured in a charred section of the car park at Luton Airport this morning
Have any flights been diverted?
Yes, 11 arrivals at Luton scheduled 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 at 8.47pm last night 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 blaze would have started in a vehicle that arrived at about the time the fire started.
Flights at Luton Airport were suspended following the blaze which broke out at about 9pm
What was the cause of the fire?
The cause of the blaze has not been confirmed, but Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service has said it was called to a fire involving a diesel car.
AA technical expert Greg Carter said the most common cause of car fires is an electrical fault with the 12-volt battery system.
He added that diesel is ‘much less flammable’ than petrol, and in a car it takes ‘intense pressure or sustained flame’ to ignite diesel.
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.
The fire is thought to have started with a diesel car, before spreading through the car park
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. Even if flights do resume at 3pm, there is likely to be a knock-on impact.
Was anyone injured in the fire?
Yes, six people. 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 at 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.’
Passengers are facing disruption as Luton Airport remains closed because of last night’s fire
Are trains and buses also affected?
East Midlands Railway and Thameslink services were still stopping at the nearby 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 have flights been affected by the fire at Luton Airport today?
More than 140 flights at London Luton Airport have been cancelled so far today due to the fire, including 73 departures and 70 arrivals.
DEPARTURES CANCELLED – 73
- 25 Wizz Air
- 39 easyJet
- 8 Ryanair
- 1 Air Hamburg
ARRIVALS CANCELLED – 70
- 40 easyJet
- 25 Wizz Air
- 5 Ryanair
ARRIVALS DIVERTED – 11
- 3 to Stansted
- 3 to Cardiff
- 2 to Manchester
- 1 to Liverpool
- 2 to Bristol
Which roads are affected by the fire?
Luton Council said these roads in the town are currently closed due to the fire:
- Airport Way/jct. Percival Way
- Eaton Green Road/jct. Frank Leicester Way
- Eaton Green Road/jct. Vauxhall Way
- Airport Way/jct. Vauxhall Way
- A1081 (New Airport Way)/jct. Gipsy Lane
How many cars have been affected?
The terminal two 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 site.
The fire service said the severity of the blaze had caused ‘significant structural collapse’, adding: ‘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.
How many people are affected by flight disruption?
Around 25,000 airline passengers are suffering disruption at Luton Airport, according to analysis by the PA news agency.
Travel expert Simon Calder has estimated the figure at ‘between 40,000 and 50,000 people’, reported BBC News.
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: Read Full Article
