The fire that broke out on Monday at Terminal 1 of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, has caused significant damage to critical air-to-ground communication equipment, according to Farouk Umar, Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA). The damage forced air traffic controllers to rely entirely on emergency backup systems to maintain flight operations, which resulted in considerable disruption.
Umar made these revelations while assessing the damage on Wednesday, noting that the fire had not only impacted air-to-ground communications but also caused severe disruption to airport operations, including flight diversions and a large-scale emergency response.
He explained, “Let me be honest with you, the fire has affected our air-to-ground communication completely. What you see on ground to sustain air traffic service is the backup that we moved from other places to sustain Lagos. The truth of the matter is that with what I have seen, we have a lot to do when we are out of the situation. It is going to be very difficult for me to tell the magnitude of the loss; it will take us a while to do so.”
The fire broke out while the NAMA management team was in a meeting, prompting an immediate response from the agency. Umar revealed that the agency’s directors of operations and engineering were quickly dispatched to the scene to assess the extent of the damage and stabilize the situation at the country’s busiest airport.
In his comments, Umar underscored the seriousness of the situation: “The fire has caused a huge loss, particularly with regard to communications. Also, air traffic services were really disrupted.” The fire affected key infrastructure within Terminal 1, including several aviation facilities. Umar also disclosed that the Nigeria Meteorological Agency’s offices and equipment were completely destroyed.
As a result of the damage, aviation authorities were compelled to halt inbound flights to Lagos temporarily. This decision, Umar explained, was necessary to ensure safety while contingency measures were put in place to manage the crisis. “We had no option at that time but to suspend inbound aircraft into Lagos. But good enough, the Director of Operations was around and there was a prompt response to the emergency situation in which we found ourselves,” Umar recalled.
Despite the severity of the damage, Umar reassured the public that Nigeria’s airspace remains safe. He attributed the successful management of the situation to the professionalism of NAMA personnel, stating, “We are happy to say that communication and air control remain uninterrupted. This shows that NAMA is full of professionals who are always ready to address this kind of unfortunate incident. I want to assure Nigerians and the flying public that the Nigerian airspace still remains safe because we take safety as sacrosanct.”
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, visited the site of the incident on Tuesday and confirmed that the fire had caused widespread destruction. He noted that the fire had destroyed the offices and equipment of the Nigeria Meteorological Agency, adding to the already significant damage to critical aviation infrastructure.
Umar also pointed to the swift deployment of emergency backup systems from other operational locations, ensuring that flight operations could continue with minimal disruption. “I am happy that no life was lost, and what we are trying to do now is to improve on what we have done so far. I want to assure Nigerians that the air-to-ground communications will remain uninterrupted,” Umar added.
