Fire at London Luton Airport leads to flight suspension

London Luton Airport halted all flights until 3 pm p.m. local time Wednesday after a fire tore through one of its car parks, causing a partial collapse. 

The blaze was triggered by a vehicle fire that spread in Terminal Car Park 2, the airport said. Images and video on social media showed the top floor of the multistory parking facility ablaze with dozens of vehicles on fire. It’s not yet known what caused the automobile to catch fire. 

Luton Airport, which handled more than 13 million passengers last year, said in a statement that people shouldn’t travel to the airport as access remained “severely restricted.” 

“Our priority remains supporting the emergency services and the safety of our passengers and staff,” the airport said in a statement.

EasyJet Plc, one of the biggest operators at the hub, has canceled 35 return flights from Luton due to the closure. The carrier is allowing passengers on flights that have been scrapped to rebook or receive a refund, it said in an email. 

Incoming flights after 9:15 p.m. local time last night to Luton were diverted to London’s Stansted and Gatwick airport as well as Birmingham, according to data on FlightRadar24. 

Luton’s website showed about 80 commercial passenger flights were due to depart or arrive by midday Wednesday. The airport north of London is a hub for budget carriers including EasyJet, Ryanair Holdings Plc and Wizz Air Holdings Plc.