Six persons have been confirmed to have sustained minor injuries and three international flights diverted after a fire tore through part of the old terminal at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos forcing an emergency response that briefly disrupted operations.
Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, who gave the confirmation also said, a British Airways flight was diverted to Abuja, while Lufthansa rerouted to Malabo and Emirates diverted at the height of the incident.
The Airspace which was closed when the fire started has since been reopened, with flight operations ongoing at about 7:20pm.
Mrs. Kuku said the fire, which preliminary findings suggest began on the ground floor before spreading to the roof, impacted some airport operations but was swiftly contained through the activation of the airport’s Emergency Operations Centre.
She credited coordinated efforts by airport firefighters, Lagos State emergency services, the police and aerial support teams for preventing any fatalities and ensuring a safe evacuation of passengers and staff.
While investigations into the immediate and remote causes are ongoing, the FAAN MD stressed that the immediate priority was controlling the blaze and safeguarding lives.
Although renovation works are underway within the airport environment ahead of a major rehabilitation, she clarified that no active construction was taking place in the section where the fire reportedly started.
Structural and civil engineers are expected to assess the integrity of the affected terminal once the fire is fully extinguished to determine the next steps.
Mrs Kuku noted that most departures and arrivals had already been moved to the newer terminal as part of pre-existing transition plans, limiting the scale of disruption.
She reassured passengers that the situation was under control and advised those with scheduled flights in the coming hours and days to proceed to the airport, as normal operations are being restored.
As at the time of this report, smoke was still bellowing out of the terminal.
Reporting By Nosa Aituamen