Luton Airport has received more than 16,000 queries from customers after a huge fire caused one of its multi-storey car parks to partially collapse earlier this week.
The airport suspended all flights on Tuesday after its multi-storey Terminal Car Park 2 became engulfed in flames.
As many as 1,500 vehicles were in the car park at the time – with up to 1,200 believed to be damaged, according Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Holidaymakers who left their cars at Luton Airport say they have been “left in limbo” and received “no help”, as the airport admitted on Friday that it doesn’t yet know whose vehicles were damaged.
A spokesperson for Luton Airport says it is working with the car park’s operator to get back to thousands of concerned customers.
“Since Tuesday night’s incident, together with Apcoa Parking we have responded to almost 16,500 customer queries,” said the spokesperson.
“Dealing with such a large volume of questions has naturally taken longer than we would have liked.
“Although we don’t have all the answers at this stage, we are working hard to provide more details as soon as possible.”
The blaze caused the car park to partially collapse, with the debris of some cars piled up within its blackened storeys.
The cars haven’t been removed yet due to safety concerns.
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In a statement on its website yesterday, the airport said: “We understand the distress this incident has caused for our car parking customers, and that many are still anxious for more detail.
“We’re sorry that we have not been able to respond as quickly as we would have liked.”
The spokesperson also said the Motor Insurers’ Bureau will be co-ordinating claims with all insurers.
Apcoa Parking said in a statement that the fire caused “extensive damage”, adding it could not confirm the condition of any particular vehicle.
The airport’s Dart rail transit system, which opened earlier this year, remains closed along with the car park.
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Luton says flights are operating as normal, but passengers should check the exact status of their flight with their airline.
The airport is also advising flyers to try to avoid driving to Luton where possible, as parking space is “extremely limited” despite the Terminal 1, long and mid-stay car parks still being operational.
