Tens of thousands of passengers at Stansted airport face chaos after a fire in a lounge closed the security search operation.
A fire broke out in the Escape Lounge, part of the main departures area, at 3.30am. No one was hurt, and the airport says the fire was “quickly extinguished by the Airport Fire Service.”
But the quantity of smoke led to the area near the Escape Lounge being evacuated, with no further passengers allowed through.
Stansted airport said: “Passengers have now been moved to the terminal forecourt and security remains temporarily closed.”
Passengers were obliged to remain outside the terminal building for around two hours, during which time many thousands of travellers would normally have been cleared through security.
At 6.30am the airport posted: “The departure lounge is now open and passengers are being processed through security, though waiting times may be longer than usual in the circumstances.
“Flights were not suspended and both departures and arrivals are operating. Some flights may be subject to delays and passengers are advised to check with their airlines.”
A spokesperson for Stansted airport said: “We thank all passengers for their patience as we ensured the terminal was safe for them to re-enter.”
Stansted is Ryanair’s main base, and The Independent understands that some “early wave” flights departed empty in order to protect the schedule for later in the day. Three Ryanair flights due to depart at 5.55am – to Tenerife, Rhodes and Marrakech – are shown as having taken off soon after 6am, even though the terminal was still closed at the time.
Other passengers say on social media that flights were not held. On X (formerly Twitter), a passenger named Dani wrote: “Absolute chaos at Stansted airport thousands missed their flights (including us).”
The Independent has asked Ryanair to comment.
Jet2, the second-largest operator at the airport, cancelled three flights to Greek islands: to Heraklion, Santorini and Lesbos.
The airline told passengers: “Due to the earlier fire within London Stansted Airport today, we have been left with no alternative but to cancel.”
Air passengers’ rights rules do not cover a case when airport issues cause travellers to miss their planes, but past experience at Stansted and elsewhere indicates that travellers who are stranded will be allow to rebook for later flights free of charge.
The Essex hub is the UK’s fourth-busiest airport, with 84,000 passengers expected to pass through the airport on Wednesday.
Adding to the chaos on Wednesday morning, 10 Stansted Express trains to and from London were cancelled due to a signal failure between the airport at Bishop’s Stortford. CrossCountry trains serving Cambridge and Birmingham were also cancelled. The line has now reopened, but National Rail says “disruption is expected until 9.30am”.
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