Luton Airport could reopen a multi-storey car park this autumn, two years after it was destroyed in a fire.
A blaze tore through the Terminal 2 car park at the Bedfordshire airport, suspending flights and disrupting the journeys of more than 30,000 passengers on 10 October 2023.
Car park progress was discussed during a Luton Borough Council overview and scrutiny board meeting, which reviewed the airport's 2024 sustainability report on 15 September.
Neil Bradford, Luton Airport's head of communications, told the board that the car park’s “topping out ceremony was in June” and “we'll be opening that in the next few weeks”, reported BBC News.
According to Mr Bradford, wider parking and drop-off operations are being reviewed “soon.”
A London Luton Airport spokesperson told The Independent: “London Luton Airport’s newly rebuilt Terminal Car Park 2 is very near to completion. The new car park will reopen with 1,900 vehicle spaces and a brand-new covered Express Drop-off and Pick-Up zone on the ground floor, providing quick and convenient access to the terminal building.”
The fire destroyed 1,352 vehicles in October 2023 and was started accidentally from a moving diesel vehicle.
An investigation by Bedfordshire Police and Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service discovered that “all evidence” pointed towards the cause most probably “being an electrical fault or component failure” in the engine bay while the vehicle was moving.
More than 100 firefighters tackled the blaze on the third floor of Car Park 2, with four of them suffering injuries.
The car park partially collapsed during the fire and was later fully demolished.
A further report into the incident concluded that while a sprinkler system was not mandatory, it would have helped contain the fire.
In other Luton Airport news, a helicopter carrying Donald Trump was forced to divert to the aviation hub on Thursday (18 September).
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said “due to a minor hydraulic issue”, the aircraft carrying the US president landed at a “local airfield” while en route to Stansted airport.
Read more: Why do airlines charge different amounts for cabin baggage on exactly the same flight?
