TOURISTS to the UK are being welcomed with a grim sight as the ruins of Luton Airport car park remain after the horror blaze four months ago.
A fire broke out at the airport’s terminal two car park in October 2023, spreading throughout and decimating the entire structure.
The incident sent nearly 1,500 vehicles up in flames whilst one member of airport staff and four firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation.
Now, the skeleton of the building remains as a part-demolished wreck, making for quite the eyesore for passengers landing into the country.
An image of the burned-out car park was shared to social media yesterday by a disgruntled passenger on a flight who was welcomed by the dilapidated structure upon landing.
The car park remains a shadow of its former self, with both the interior and exterior entirely blackened by the flames.
The structural integrity seems to have failed with floors apparently having collapsed in on the countless cars that remain untouched in their spaces, written off by the fire damage.
Rubble is piled high at the foot of the building and the tower on the left of the car park boasts scorch marks on its walls.
No effort appears to have been made to cover the appearance of the car park after a report deemed the building unsalvageable, citing extensive structural damage and stating the building will need to be demolished.
Work on dismantling the car park was announced in November and was reportedly to take up to 16 weeks, with the work beginning in January.
No evidence of this has yet been seen though as is evident from the image snapped by the passenger on the landing plane.
The image was shared to social media by the anonymous passenger yesterday with the caption: “Welcome to the UK.
“Luton Airport, the first sight you see when you land, is the car park which burnt down in October ‘23.
“You’d have thought that they would’ve put some kind of scaffold sheeting up to hide it, but I’m not surprised. Nothing says budget cuts and poor planning as much as this.”
The image received over 1,900 likes and more than 290 comments from users who were quick to gripe about the cleanup and demolition efforts.
One user said: “My friend’s car is still in there, far as I’m aware every car still inside has been written off as a total loss as either they’re smoke/water/fire damaged or the structure is too unstable to recover them in a way that means they’re useable again.”
Another added: “It’s a Max Fosh style prank. Make people think they have landed in Ukraine rather than England.”
A third wrote: “Imagine flying back from a lovely holiday, only to see your old car dangling like that.”
A fourth replied: “I think it’s good that visiting tourists can get an authentic Luton experience, even if they get straight on the train to London.”
A London Luton Airport spokesperson said: “Work has begun to dismantle Terminal Car Park 2. This is a precise process and is expected to be completed by spring 2024.
“For those travelling to and from London Luton Airport during this period, a choice of public transport, as well as short/mid/long-stay parking facilities, continues to be available, with all other airport services unaffected by these works.”
