FAAN has temporarily closed the airspace at Lagos International Airport terminal following a fire outbreak

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The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) yesterday issued an emergency aviation alert following a significant fire outbreak at Terminal One of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos. 

In a move described as a necessary safety precaution, authorities ordered the temporary closure of the Lagos airspace to manage the crisis. 

This decision led to immediate flight disruptions, with international carriers including an Air France flight from Paris forced to turn back midflight as the airport’s critical communication and control systems were impacted by the blaze.

Preliminary investigations by the fire service suggest the inferno originated in a server room on the first floor of the terminal before spreading to parts of the fourth and fifth floors. The smoke was reportedly so thick that it billowed into the control tower area, posing an immediate threat to air traffic personnel and their ability to safely coordinate takeoffs and landings. 

FAAN officials worked alongside the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency and private construction partners to activate a mutual aid arrangement, bringing in heavy duty equipment to support the containment efforts.

During the height of the emergency, dramatic rescue operations were carried out to evacuate fourteen individuals who had become trapped in the upper levels of the facility, including sections near the control tower. FAAN successfully deployed a crane to reach those stranded, confirming that all fourteen people were safely rescued. 

While the agency reported six casualties three males and three females all were listed in stable condition at the FAAN headquarters hospital, and fortunately, no fatalities were recorded during the chaotic evacuation of the terminal.

The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has since been working around the clock to restore normalcy. While the fire damaged essential air to ground communication infrastructure, NAMA leadership ensured that the safety of the wider Nigerian airspace remained uncompromised by activating contingency measures. 

Plans were immediately set in motion to deploy a Mobile Control Tower to serve as a temporary operational hub, allowing air traffic controllers to resume managing local flight movements while the permanent tower undergoes extensive technical repairs and restoration.

As of the latest update, the fire has been fully extinguished, and the terminal has been cleared of smoke. Although flight operations began a staggered resumption late yesterday, travelers are being advised to check with their respective airlines for updated schedules as the airport works through a significant backlog of delayed and diverted flights. 

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development has praised the swift response of the emergency teams, noting that their coordination prevented what could have been a much larger disaster at West Africa’s busiest aviation hub.


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