Strike action at Luton Airport called off following major fire incident - as flights return to normal

Planned strike action at Luton Airport has been called off following a major fire on Tuesday night causing damage to hundreds of cars and collapse of a multi storey car park.

A spokesperson for APCOA Parking (UK) said: “In light of the major incident at Luton Airport and following a discussion between the Unite union and APCOA, Unite has suspended the planned industrial action which was due to commence on Friday, October 13.

“APCOA appreciate Unite and its members acting so quickly in suspending their industrial action, so all our colleagues can support Luton Airport and its customers through this challenging period.”

Luton Airport yesterday updated passengers following the incident with flights resuming again at 3pm.

A spokesperson from Luton Airport said: "Flights are operating as normal today, but passengers should check the exact status of their flight with the airline.

"Travelling to the airport may take longer than usual. More information can be found on our website.

"We understand the distress this incident has caused for our car parking customers, and we recognise many are anxious for answers.

"We are working hard to provide those answers as quickly as possible, though this will take some time. We will be prioritising those who booked directly with us and those with bookings starting in the next 24 hours.

"Terminal Car Park 1 is only open for retrieval of vehicles at this point. Customers who have booked using a third party meet and greet operator should contact them in advance of travelling ot the airport.

"The Mid-stay and Long-stay car parks are open as usual for those who have pre-booked.

"We would like to thank our customers for their continued patience and understanding."

Meanwhile, it has been revealed that the firm that built the burned-down Luton Airport car park – Grant Thornton UK LLP – collapsed five weeks ago despite being in the middle of building football stadiums for Liverpool, Fulham and Birmingham City.

Hundreds of cars were destroyed as a result of a blaze in the multi-storey car park where 1,500 vehicles were parked.

It’s believed the fire started accidentally, with Bedfordshire Fire & Rescue confirming the initial vehicle involved in the fire was a diesel car.