Around 25,000 airline passengers are suffering disruption as Luton Airport remains closed because a vehicle fire caused a car park to collapse.
PA news agency analysis of flight data websites found at least 140 flights due to take off or land at the Bedfordshire airport have been cancelled since the fire started shortly before 9pm on Tuesday.
A further 17 arrivals were diverted to airports as far away as Cardiff, Liverpool and Manchester.
Flights are suspended until at least 3pm on Wednesday.
Passengers booked on flights due to depart before then are advised not to go to the airport.
Crews have controlled and extinguished the fire at Luton Airport. Four crews and an aerial appliance remain at the scene. All flights are suspended until 3pm. If you have a flight leaving before 3pm, please do not travel. Please avoid the area owing to severe traffic delays. pic.twitter.com/ji5HR1Qmug
— Beds Fire and Rescue (@BedsFire) October 11, 2023
Firefighters worked through the night and into the early hours of Wednesday to extinguish the blaze.
Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said at 9am its crews were “monitoring the smouldering remains”.
It received a call about a car fire on level three of Terminal Car Park 2 at 8.47pm.
Fifteen fire appliances and more than 100 firefighters were deployed.
Four firefighters and a member of airport staff were taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation and another firefighter was treated at the scene.
Andrew Hopkinson, chief fire officer for Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: On arrival my officers were faced with a severe and rapidly spreading fire involving a large number of vehicles that ultimately spread to multiple floors and involved a partial collapse of the car park.
“The incident was declared a major incident at 9.38pm.”
He added that up to 1,500 vehicles were inside the car park at the time of the fire.
Footage posted on social media showed flames and smoke tearing through cars parked at the newly-built airport car park.
Russell Taylor, 41, an account director from Kinross in Scotland, saw the flames after flying in to Luton Airport from Edinburgh.
He told PA: “There were a couple of fire engines with a car ablaze on the upper floor of the car park at just after 9pm.
“A few minutes later most of the upper floor was alight, car alarms were going off with loud explosions from cars going up in flames.
“The speed in which the fire took hold was incredible.”
In a statement issued on social media shortly after 7am, 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.”
Nearby residents were told to close their windows to avoid the smoke.
Describing the car park, Luton Airport’s website said: “Our brand new multi-story car park offering secure, on-site parking using just a five-minute walk to the terminal entrance.”
Access to the airport from the Luton Direct Air-Rail Transit (Dart) has been closed, leaving passengers stuck at mainline railway station Luton Airport Parkway.
A group of eight Polish university students have been stranded at the airport for nine hours after their early morning departure was cancelled.
Nikodem Lesiak, 18, said they were attempting to return to Poland after visiting the UK for a holiday.
He told PA: “We are tired, and we have spent the whole night here. We need to get to Poland as fast as possible.
“When we got here, we found out Luton is burning and everything is closed.”
