Flights leaving Luton Airport are experiencing delays and cancellations due to an earlier disruption caused by a lightning strike on air traffic control systems.
A spokesperson for the airport stated that operations were suspended between 17:40 and 19:15 BST, leading to approximately 30 flights being cancelled or diverted. This disruption occurred during a period of severe weather that caused flash flooding in the area.
The airport spokesperson apologized to those affected and advised passengers to check their flight status with their respective airlines. NATS, the air traffic control services provider, confirmed that severe thunderstorms impacted services at both Luton and Stansted airports.
"Flights to and from London Luton Airport have now resumed following an earlier suspension of operations caused by a lightning strike affecting Air Traffic Control equipment," the spokesperson said. "The disruption coincided with a period of severe weather across the area, resulting in flash flooding on local roads, and the airport approach. As operations return to normal, some flights may continue to experience delays or cancellations as airlines work to recover their schedules."
Gary Nash, from Barton-le-Clay in Bedfordshire, was scheduled to fly to Spain for a family funeral but his flight was cancelled. He now has to travel to Birmingham to catch a different flight to ensure he arrives on time.
"It's chaotic, absolutely chaotic," he said. "When you've got 200 or 300 people on different flights that have been cancelled, maybe even more people, 1,000, it's chaotic. There's people queuing everywhere and getting nowhere."
Kika Rocha from London, who was at Luton Airport to travel to Ibiza for a holiday, also had her flight cancelled. She described the experience as a "nightmare" due to the initial lack of information. "At 20:00, the customer service stopped and we were reliant on the people who are at the airport to help us. Thankfully we managed to get our flight rebooked for tomorrow, but not to Ibiza. We're going somewhere else in Spain and trying to connect, but it's pretty chaotic inside [the airport] at the moment."
Jeff Chan, 26, was due to fly to Venice for a hiking trip in the Dolomites, Italy, but his flight was delayed by six hours. He received updates via his airline app but heard nothing from the airport. His bus from Luton Station Parkway was cancelled due to flooding on the roads near the airport, although the Luton DART shuttle remained operational.
"It was actually quite peaceful on the journey here. It was only when we got near the airport, it started getting pretty bad," he said, adding that there was significant confusion due to the lack of clear information. Some passengers were expecting to stay at the airport overnight, and many were travelling with children, unsure of their next steps.
A NATS spokesperson stated: "Severe thunderstorms have affected parts of the south east this evening, causing significant disruption to flights at London Luton and Stansted airports. Flights to and from London Luton Airport have now resumed following an earlier suspension caused by a lightning strike affecting Air Traffic Control equipment. We apologise for the disruption caused."
