Flights missed after rail fault and airport fire

Passengers at Stansted Airport missed their flights and others were delayed after trains were cancelled or disrupted

Passengers at London Stansted Airport have been experiencing major disruption with flights missed due to delays caused by train signalling issues and a fire in a departure lounge.

Network Rail said a signalling fault had affected services to and from London and Birmingham.

Additionally, a small fire in the airport's Escape Lounge at 03:30 caused a "significant amount of smoke" and led to delays in the security screening area but was quickly extinguished, a Stansted spokesperson said.

They added rail services were now "operating as normal but there may be some flight delays" and urged people to check the status of flights.

Chief operating officer Jonathan Fowler told BBC Essex: "I'd like to apologise to all of our customers who have been affected by the fire this morning but understand that our passenger and staff safety are the top priority at the airport."

Mr Fowler said no one was injured in the incident.

A spokesperson for Jet2 said three flights took off without passengers.

They said: "As a result of this disruption, we have been left with no choice but to take the difficult decision to cancel three outbound flights, with these aircraft departing empty so that customers can return to the UK from their holidays as planned today."

Mr Hollman said there were "loads" of Nottingham Forest fans waiting to travel to Spain

Nottingham Forest fans were among those affected by the delays on their way to the Spanish city of Seville to watch the club play Real Betis.

Joe Hollman said he arrived at the airport at about 03:00 and said he "got through security really quick" before "hell broke loose".

He said: "As we got into departures, someone ran past with a fire extinguisher."

Mr Hollman and his friends were asked to leave the Wetherspoons, adding they could "smell a bit of smoke".

"We waited a couple of hours for departures to open," he said.

Mr Fowler said: "Many of our airlines operate a network and at a time when an aircraft leaves the airport it has to go on to another destination.

"Airlines make that decision and, actually, our airlines have been working with passengers now to rebook as many of those passengers onto later flights today," he added.

Tom and Mary Twigg missed their flight to France due to the disruption

Tom and Mary Twigg from Canvey Island were set to travel to Limoges, in France.

Mrs Twigg, 82, said: "We were flying to Limoges and when we arrived at the airport people were queueing outside.

"We queued for about half an hour outside and then when we got inside we were just shuffling," she added.

Mrs Twigg said they had missed their flight and expressed that "people were fed up" whilst waiting.

Mr Twigg, 85, added: "It is nobody's fault if there was a fire, but the worst part for us was we did get through 17 minutes before the flight but they would not let us on."

He added that about "18 to 20 people" missed the flight.

A spokesperson for the airport said rail services were "operating as normal but there may be some flight delays"

Connie Ryan, 24, was due to fly with Ryanair to Alicante with three of her friends for a four-night holiday in Benidorm.

Ms Ryan said they managed to get to the gate before their scheduled departure time but the plane had started taxiing.

"It was really manic. We have booked parking and lost about £100 on that," she said.

She added her friends had returned home to Biggleswade in Bedfordshire and they would all be "flying from Luton tomorrow".

"We will be flying back to Stansted so we will have to sort out transfers when we get back," she said.

A spokesperson for Ryanair said: "Passengers who may have missed their flight due to the security closure are being re-accommodated on the next available flight free of charge.

"In addition, passengers have been advised they can change their flight via our website or app."

The airport thanked passengers for their patience and understanding