Inbound Standsted flights diverted

LONDON: Flights to Stansted airport were diverted to other UK airports last night, due to a runway closure, causing disruption for UK holidaymakers.

Sources at the airport reported on twitter that the closure was due to the runway needing maintenance and repairs and not related to a security breach.

Serving over 100 destinations, London Stansted is one of the UK’s busiest airports and is popular  as a gateway to European destinations for  low cost carriers such as RyanAir and EasyJet.

It has been reported that holes were surfacing in the tarmac, that required urgent attention to ensure that the runway was safe for landings.

An airport spokesman described the work as ‘routine maintenance’ and the runway was re-opened after more than an hour with affected flights diverted to London Luton and Birmingham airport

The closure came after the airport was evacuated earlier in the day. It would appear that the two incidents are unrelated.

Unfortunately flights affected by runways closures are not eligible for compensation. Operational issues of the airport does not fall within the responsibility of the airline. Carriers are therefore not obliged to pay compensation.