Tens of thousands of passengers at Stansted airport have had a chaotic day 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 blaze 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 at the time: “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. Planes took off empty or only partially loaded, leaving passengers stranded.
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.”
Tthousands of passengers were left behind. Jenny Bardsley and her party arrived at the airport at 4.15am for a 7.25am Ryanair flight to Sofia. After the evacuation they were eventually let back in, and reached the gate at 7.05am – “to be told it had been closed five minutes before.”
A spokesperson for the airline said: “Passengers who may have missed their flight due to the security closure are being re-accommodated on the next available flight free of charge.”
Stansted is Ryanair’s main base. Jet2, the second-largest operator at the airport after Ryanair, dispatched three flights to Greek islands – to Heraklion, Santorini and Lesbos –with no passengers on board.
The airline told passengers: “Due to the earlier fire within London Stansted Airport today, we have been left with no alternative but to cancel.”
Many flights were heavily delayed, by up to three hours in the case of a Jet2 departure to Palma de Mallorca – with knock-on delays continuing through the day.
The Essex hub is the UK’s fourth-busiest airport, with 84,000 passengers booked 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. The line closed for over two hours from 5.30am.
CrossCountry trains serving Cambridge and Birmingham were also cancelled.
Read more: My flight cancellation revealed how complicated claiming compensation can be
