The Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, rushed from Abuja to Lagos on Monday night following a fire outbreak at Terminal 1 of Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA).
Arriving around 11:50 p.m., Keyamo joined the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) management team, led by Managing Director Olubunmi Kuku, who were coordinating emergency response efforts to contain the blaze.
“I commend FAAN personnel and first responders for their swift activation of established emergency procedures. Their prompt and coordinated actions were instrumental in safeguarding lives and limiting the impact of the incident,” the Minister said while on the ground.
The fire caused a temporary disruption of flight operations, but services have since resumed. Henry Agbebire, FAAN’s Director of Public Affairs, confirmed that the airspace closure was brief.
“It was just for a short period. Once the fire was curtailed, the operations started. Planes have been flying in and leaving,” Agbebire said.
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Earlier, Kuku told journalists that the authority had deployed a remote control tower to restore operations quickly.
“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,” she said.
Kuku added that FAAN is also activating contingency measures, including a temporary terminal outside the Airport Operations Centre (AOC), which is expected to be fully operational in the next few days.
“We appreciate the coordinated response to the incident. Both federal and state authorities provided support,” she said, noting that agencies involved included the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), the Nigerian Air Force, police, and other security and safety agencies.
The fire prompted FAAN to temporarily close the airspace in line with established safety protocols, a move credited with preventing further disruption and ensuring passenger safety.
