Luton Airport car park: will passengers be able to park their cars next week, will car parks be open - latest advice

A huge blaze tore through Luton Airport’s Terminal 2 car park on Tuesday evening (10 October) damaging up to 1,500 vehicles. Flights were immediately delayed and cancelled the following morning (Wednesday 11 October) and hundreds of people were stranded because their cars were either in the collapsed car park or in an adjacent one.

More than 150 flights were cancelled on Wednesday affecting over 30,000 passengers. Andrew Hopkinson, chief fire officer for Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, confirmed that the fire at the airport started with a diesel vehicle and also said that the car park was not fitted with sprinklers. There is no suggestion the blaze happened intentionally. Four firefighters and a member of airport staff were taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation and another firefighter was treated at the scene.

Mr Hopkinson said: “We have no intelligence at this stage to suggest that this was anything other than an accidental fire that started in one of the vehicles that had not long arrived at the airport. It was not an EV. This was a diesel powered vehicle.”

Several flights from the airport are delayed today (Friday 13 October) and many passengers due to fly from the airport next week are taking to social media questioning whether they can park at the airport. Here are the latest updates.

Am I still able to park my car at Luton Airport?

Luton Airport is open to passengers and flights are resuming as normal. The airport told NationalWorld that passengers with queries relating to a parked vehicle or future booking in Terminal Car Park 2 and Terminal Car Park 1 can contact [email protected] for assistance.

The airport added that it has also produced an FAQ that car park customers can access via the Passenger Information page on the LLA website.

What about my car that was in the car park that caught on fire?

Any passenger who had bookings at the Terminal Car Park 2, which partially collapsed in the fire, is asked to email [email protected] for support. Passengers who have cars parked but do not know if their vehicle is badly damaged may be contacted by the airport directly.

A spokesman on Thursday (12 October) said that the airport was attempting to make contact with as many vehicle-owners as possible to give them an update and make arrangements for them to recover their car. According to the Association of British Insurers most vehicle owners will be covered by their individual insurance policies. A spokesperson said: “Drivers affected should notify any claim to their motor insurer. We will continue to work with our members and Luton Airport to understand the situation, as and when more information becomes available."