The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has announced the resumption of flight operations at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos after a temporary shutdown caused by a fire outbreak.
Henry Agbebire, FAAN’s director of public affairs, confirmed that the disruption lasted only a brief period. He said normal activities resumed shortly after the situation was brought under control.
“It was just for a short period. Once the fire was curtailed, the operations started. Planes have been flying in and leaving,” Agbebire said.
Earlier, the managing director of FAAN, Olubunmi Kuku, told journalists that the authority had initiated the installation of 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,” she said.
“So we should have flights departing and arriving very shortly, as soon as that is set up.”
Kuku also disclosed that FAAN had activated contingency measures to ease operations. She explained that this includes setting up a temporary terminal outside the Airport Operations Centre (AOC).
“That should be up and running in the next couple of days as well,” the FAAN boss added.
She commended the coordinated efforts of various agencies that responded to the emergency. According to her, both federal and Lagos State authorities contributed to managing the situation.
Kuku listed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), the Nigerian Air Force, the police, and other safety and security agencies among those involved in the response.
FAAN had earlier closed the airport’s airspace following the fire incident at Terminal One. The authority said the action was taken in line with standard safety procedures.
