Luton Airport has confirmed that flights will start operating again from 3pm today.

They were suspended following a major fire in one of the airport’s multi-storey car parks, causing it to collapse.

Dozens of departures and arrivals were suspended, mainly with EasyJet, Wizz Air and Ryanair.

Luton Airport said the emergency services have now downgraded the incident and that its own teams have worked hard to get the airport operational again.

It said passengers are now re-entering the airport and the first flights are due to take off from 3pm. It said extra staff have been brought in to help travellers.

The long and mid-stay car parks are fully operating and a temporary drop-off service has been set up in the mid-stay car park.

The DART shuttle remains out of service but there is a replacement bus service.

Four firefighters and an airport staff member were taken to hospital as a result of the fire, suffering from the effects of breathing in smoke.

Another patient was treated at the scene.

Hundreds of people were stranded in Luton, many of whom had cars in the car park.

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “A severe fire rapidly spread through the structure and the severity of the fire has caused significant structural collapse.

“It is believed that up to 1,200 vehicles may have been in the car park at the time of the fire and subsequently damaged.

“Firefighting operations were undertaken to control the blaze and protect nearby buildings, vehicles, aircraft, and the Luton DART.

“At its peak there were 15 rescue pumps, three aerial appliances and over 100 firefighters on scene at this incident. 

“We would like to thank our fire colleagues from Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire, and London Fire Brigade along with Bedfordshire Police and East of England Ambulance for their support.

“Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service will continue to undertake firefighting operations to help restore travel services to the public as soon as is possible.”