Stansted departure lounge fire delays flights as passengers evacuated
Fire in the Escape Lounge prompts evacuation, security closure and dozens of morning delays; rail services to and from the airport also disrupted.
A small fire in Stansted airport's departure area known as the Escape Lounge broke out around 3:30 a.m. local time, triggering an evacuation of passengers and a temporary halt to departures. Airport officials said security was briefly forced to close the area as crews responded. The blaze was extinguished quickly by the Airport Fire Service, and staff moved evacuated travelers to the terminal forecourt while smoke was cleared. No injuries were reported, but the disruption left travelers waiting in cold conditions or cramped spaces as they waited for updates.
Stansted's operator said about 16 departures were delayed by 45 minutes or more as morning schedules were scrambled. Examples included a Jet2 flight to Kefalonia that had been due to depart at 5:55 a.m. but was pushed to about 7:50 a.m.; a Ryanair service to Faro moved from 6:20 a.m. to 7:45 a.m.; and a TUI flight to Paphos was rescheduled from 7:00 a.m. to 8:10 a.m. Other delays affected a Jet2 service to Mytilene that had been set for 5:40 a.m., which departed at 6:48 a.m., and a Ryanair service to Rome that shifted from 6:25 a.m. to 7:15 a.m. The airport reported an average departure delay of around 29 minutes, with no cancellations and no arrivals halted.
The airport added on X that the incident was confined to the departure area and that the fire was extinguished quickly. It said health and safety would be its number one priority, and that passengers had been moved to the terminal forecourt while security remained temporarily closed.
Social media posts from travelers described crowded conditions and limited information. One person said the terminal forecourt and check-in hall were packed shoulder to shoulder, with little movement and unclear updates. Families with young children and passengers with health needs reported difficulty accessing toilets and a lack of clear plans for those with upcoming departures.
National Rail said all trains to and from Stansted were cancelled due to a signalling fault at the airport, compounding travel disruption for passengers relying on rail links.
Stansted serves as a base for Jet2.com, Ryanair and TUI Airways, and the incident comes as the airport resumes its morning schedule after overnight disruption. A spokesperson said operations would restart as soon as it was safe to do so, with officials monitoring security lines and passenger flow.
By mid-morning, some flights were expected to depart later in the day as crews cleared the backlog, but travelers were urged to check with airlines for the latest departure times and to allow extra time for onward connections. Investigations into the cause were not immediately available.