THICK BLACK SMOKE could be seen rising from Stansted airport for miles around on the evening of Good Friday – and the fire it came from caused severe disruption to passengers and airline schedules.
On the one hand, the cause of the fire was small. An electrical fault caused a shuttle bus to catch fire. the Essex Fire Service sent four crews out to deal with the fire and ensure everyone was safe. This was a welcome prompt response – and no injuries were reported.
Stansted relies on buses to take passengers from the terminal out to their aircraft. The bus was completely destroyed and it seemed that smoke damage to the front of the terminal building would be the only lasting damage.
However, this small accident caused substantial disruption. Passengers inside the terminal when the fire broke out could see the flames and were worried until airport staff could reassure them. Worse was to come. The Airport had to cancel all departing flights and ask passengers to leave the airport. Passengers were advised to sort out new travel arrangements with their airlines.
Coming on one of the year’s busiest days for air travel, as passengers leave on their Easter holidays, the fire has brought dismay to travellers and played havoc with flight scheduling on a weekend when there is little spare capacity.
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