The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has activated its emergency response plan following a major fire outbreak at the international terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, an incident that disrupted flight operations and left six people injured.
The blaze forced several foreign carriers, including British Airways, Lufthansa and Emirates, to divert their inbound flights to Abuja and airports in neighbouring countries as emergency teams worked to contain the situation.
The fire, which affected Terminal 1 of the airport, also led to the temporary evacuation of 12 air traffic controllers stationed at the control tower of the country’s premier aviation gateway.
Emergency responders deployed cranes and other specialised equipment to evacuate the controllers while firefighters battled thick smoke and intense heat that spread across parts of the facility.
The Managing Director of FAAN, Olubunmi Kuku, said the exact cause of the fire had yet to be established.
She stated that the authority moved swiftly to implement its emergency response protocol in order to prioritise the safety of lives and protect critical infrastructure.
Kuku confirmed that no lives were lost, although six individuals sustained injuries and are currently receiving medical attention. She described their condition as stable.
According to her, the fire caused significant operational disruption, prompting FAAN to create a temporary departure hall and deploy a remote control tower to minimise the impact on flight movements and passenger processing.
Kuku said: “Despite the magnitude of the incident, our emergency response mechanisms worked as designed.
“We ensured that everyone within the affected areas was safely evacuated.”
She added that FAAN, in collaboration with relevant emergency and security agencies, is working round the clock to fully stabilise the situation and restore normal operations at the terminal.
The FAAN boss also disclosed that steps were being taken to relocate certain operations to the new terminal, particularly as renovation works are ongoing at the affected old facility.
She explained that a team of professionals drawn from the building and engineering sectors would conduct a comprehensive structural integrity assessment to determine the extent of damage sustained by the terminal.
Kuku commended the swift intervention of the Lagos State Government, the Nigeria Air Force, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Nigeria Police Force and other supporting agencies.
She said: “We cannot establish the cause of the fire yet, but preliminary findings point to the ground floor of the terminal, from where it spread to other parts of the building.
“The impact was substantial, with three major international carriers diverting their flights.
“However, we are working tirelessly to ensure the resumption of normal activities as soon as possible.”
The incident generated visible anxiety among passengers and airport workers, many of whom hurried out of the terminal as thick smoke billowed through the facility, grounding flights and bringing activities to a temporary halt.
The airport is currently undergoing a N712.25 billion renovation project that began last year.
Under the existing schedule, the old terminal is expected to be completely shut down next month, with operations transitioning to a New Temporary Terminal and Terminal 2 to handle passenger traffic during the construction period.
