Essex airport cancelled all departing flights on Friday evening after fire on vehicle outside terminal entrance

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Flights from Stansted airport have resumed after a fire on a passenger shuttle bus forced departures to be cancelled.

The bus burst into flames at around 4.20pm on Friday, belching thick black smoke that clouded much of the front of the terminal building.

No one was injured but passengers described an atmosphere of confusion in the aftermath as flight details disappeared from departure boards.

The airport in Essex cancelled all departing flights until midnight but services resumed as normal on Saturday. Airport bosses have advised passengers to check flights with their airlines.

“Following the earlier incident involving a shuttle bus fire on the terminal forecourt, we confirm that the airport will be open tomorrow [Saturday] and flights are expected to operate as normal,” the airport wrote on Twitter.

“Passengers are advised to check the latest flight information with their airlines.”

The bus, which was outside the terminal entrance, was alight when firefighters appeared on the scene and the blaze was completely extinguished by 5.02pm, Essex fire and rescue service said.

Passengers were told to leave the area and advised to rebook flights. Several travellers expressed disappointment at how the evacuation was handled.

Taylor Fulton-Ward, 18, from Hertfordshire, who was flying to Dublin with her family for the Easter weekend, said people were “pushing and panicking” after some doors were not open to allow people to leave.

She said: “We arrived at the airport and after a lot of waiting we got through security and staff told us all flights were running but delayed.

“After an hour, our flight disappeared from the board with no communication. We went back through to check in to try and re-book the flight but the crowds were crazy.

“Announcements were telling us to leave the building, but the doors were not open – so people began pushing and panicking. The biggest problem was not being able to get out the doors and a lack of communication.”

Evan Roth tweeted: “We’re at Ryanair Gate 57 waiting with hundreds of people with no communication from anyone and we were just told that we now have to leave and go through security again because people had to go through security without being checked in order to evacuate.”

A spokesman for the airport, which is the fourth busiest in the UK, said some exits were cordoned off to protect passengers from the burning bus, which was very close to some of the doors, and staff guided passengers to alternative exits.

Some passengers were given the option of having their luggage mailed to their home address if they needed to leave the airport quickly.

