By Peter Omopo
Flight operations have resumed at Terminal One of Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos following a fire outbreak that disrupted activities and led to the diversion of three international flights on Monday.
The Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Olubunmi Kuku, confirmed that the airport’s airspace has been reopened.
Although no fatalities were recorded, Kuku disclosed that six people sustained injuries during the incident.
Three international airlines — Emirates, British Airways and Lufthansa — were diverted as emergency response teams battled the blaze.
Kuku stated that while some operations were temporarily affected, normal services were expected to resume shortly.
“Some of our operations were affected; however, they will be back up and running in the next half an hour,” she said.
She explained that the immediate priority was to contain the fire and secure the facility, adding that investigations into the cause of the incident are ongoing.
“What is important is that we activated our emergency procedures and evacuated everyone with no fatalities due to coordinated efforts by all agencies,” Kuku said.
According to her, the airport’s Emergency Operations Centre was activated, with the airport manager serving as the chief safety and security officer in charge of coordinating the response.
She clarified that although renovation projects are ongoing within the airport premises, no construction work was taking place in the section where the fire reportedly started.
“In the area we believe the fire started, nothing was happening at the time. People were only moving items out. The fire started from the ground floor, from our investigations so far. We are awaiting confirmation and cannot say more at this time,” she added.
The fire reportedly spread to the roof before it was brought under control, with support from police units and aerial surveillance helicopters assisting rescue operations.
Kuku said civil and structural engineers have been engaged to assess the structural integrity of the building and recommend further action.
Most departures and arrivals were temporarily relocated, with outbound flights largely moved to Terminal Two. She added that four airlines are expected to transition to a temporary terminal facility, which she described as fully prepared for operations and set to become fully functional within days.
Addressing concerns over lingering smoke, Kuku assured passengers that firefighters would remain on standby as a precaution.
She confirmed that British Airways was diverted to Abuja, Lufthansa to Malabo, and Emirates to an alternative destination.
The first departing flight took off at about 7:20 p.m., shortly after the airspace was reopened, although traces of smoke were still visible at the terminal at the time of filing this report.
