*Six Injured
THE Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has reopened the airspace and flight operations resumed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) after a temporary disruption due to a fire outbreak, in line with established safety protocols.
It’s Director of Public Affairs, Henry Agbebire, while confirming the incident, said: “It was just for a short period. Once the fire was curtailed, the operations started. Planes have been flying in and leaving.”
Earlier, the Managing Director, Olubunmi Kuku, said the agency had commenced the process of setting up a remote control tower to restore operations.
According to her: “That remote tower should be up in the next 20 minutes, and we will be back to our operations.
“So, we should have flights departing and arriving very shortly, as soon as that is set up.”
Kuku stated that FAAN was activating contingency plans, including a temporary terminal outside the Airport Operations Centre (AOC), which should be up and running in the next couple of days as well.
She commended the coordinated support and response to the incident by both federal and state authorities, including the National Emergency Management Agency(NEMA), Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and other security and safety agencies.
The FAAN boss said the exact cause of the fire was yet to be established and that the authority immediately activated its emergency response plan to prioritise the safety of lives and critical infrastructure.
Kuku disclosed that no life was lost in the incident, but six persons sustained injuries and were given immediate medical attention and their condition stable.
“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 announced plans to relocate some operations to the new terminal, especially as renovation works were ongoing at the affected old terminal.
She stated: “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 fire incident had forced foreign airlines, including British Airways, Lufthansa and Emirates, to divert their inbound flights to Abuja and airports in neighbouring countries.
The fire impacted Terminal 1, leading to the temporary evacuation of 12 air traffic controllers stationed at the control tower, using cranes and other specialised equipment, as coordinated emergency responders battled thick smoke and intense heat at the facility.
MMIA is currently undergoing N712.25billion renovation, which started last year, and the old terminal is expected to be shutdown totally next month and operations are transitioning to a New Temporary Terminal and Terminal 2 to handle passenger traffic during the period.
The biggest airport in West Africa, MMIA was build in 1979 and named after Nigeria’s late head of state, Gen. Murtala Mohammed.
