Chaos at Stansted airport following fire in lounge
Flights disrupted at London airport following fire
- A fire in the Escape Lounge at Stansted Airport caused the temporary closure of the security search operation and the evacuation of passengers.
- The fire, which occurred at 3.30am, was quickly extinguished, but the resulting smoke led to the evacuation of the area near the lounge.
- Passengers were moved to the terminal forecourt for approximately two hours before the departure lounge reopened, causing longer than usual waiting times for security.
- While flights were not suspended, some departures, particularly for Ryanair, Jet2, and Tui, experienced delays, with some early Ryanair flights reportedly departing empty.
- Additional disruption was caused by 10 cancelled Stansted Express trains and other rail services due to a signal failure, though the line has since reopened.