A lightning strike on air traffic control systems at Luton Airport has affected flight landings and schedules.

A spokesperson for the airport said operations were suspended between 17:40 and 19:15 BST, "resulting in a number of cancellations and diversions" to about 30 flights.

The disruption had coincided with a "period of severe weather" in the area that had resulted in flash flooding, they added.

The spokesperson apologised to people affected and advised passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline.

The air traffic control services provider NATS said severe thunderstorms had affected services at both Luton and Stansted airports.

"Flights to and from London Luton Airport have now resumed following an earlier suspension of operations caused by a lightning strike affecting Air Traffic Control equipment," the spokesperson said.

"The disruption coincided with a period of severe weather across the area, resulting in flash flooding on local roads, and the airport approach.

"As operations return to normal, some flights may continue to experience delays or cancellations as airlines work to recover their schedules."

Gary Nash, from Barton-le-Clay in Bedfordshire, had been due to fly to Spain to attend a family funeral in Alicante on Friday, but his flight was cancelled.

He said he now had to travel up to Birmingham to catch a different flight to get him there on time.

"It's chaotic, absolutely chaotic," he said.

"When you've got 200 or 300 people on different flights that have been cancelled, maybe even more people, 1,000, it's chaotic.

"There's people queuing everywhere and getting nowhere."

Kika Rocha from London had been at Luton Airport ready to travel to Ibiza for a holiday, but her flight was also cancelled.

She described it as a "nightmare" as she initially struggled to get any information.

"At 20:00, the customer service stopped and we were reliant on the people who are at the airport to help us," she said.

"Thankfully we managed to get our flight rebooked for tomorrow, but not to Ibiza.

"We're going somewhere else in Spain and trying to connect, but it's pretty chaotic inside [the airport] at the moment."

Jeff Chan, 26, was due to fly to Venice at 20:50 for a hiking trip in the Dolomites in Italy, but the flight was delayed by six hours.

He received updates through his airline app, but said he "heard nothing from the airport".

He said his bus from Luton Station Parkway was cancelled due to flooding on the roads near the airport, though the Luton DART shuttle remained in service.

"It was actually quite peaceful on the journey here," he said.

"It was only when we got near the airport, it started getting pretty bad."

He added that there was a lot of confusion due to the lack of clarity, with some people expecting to stay at the airport overnight.

"Lots of people are travelling with kids and they don't know what they're doing," he added.

"People are calling friends and family. They know there are delays, but no one knows how long for."

A NATS spokesperson said: "Severe thunderstorms have affected parts of the south east this evening, causing significant disruption to flights at London Luton and Stansted airports.

"Flights to and from London Luton Airport have now resumed following an earlier suspension caused by a lightning strike affecting Air Traffic Control equipment. We apologise for the disruption caused."

Additional reporting by Josh Elgin.

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