The Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, disclosed on Monday that the ongoing transition of airline operations to Terminal 2 significantly reduced the impact of the fire outbreak at the old terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
Kuku made this known while fielding questions from aviation journalists during an on-the-spot briefing at the airport amid the incident.
According to her, most airline departures and arrivals had already been moved from the old terminal as part of a planned rehabilitation programme.
She added that four additional airlines are scheduled to relocate to a temporary terminal facility in the coming days, noting that the facility is largely ready, with only minor adjustments being finalised.
The FAAN boss explained that the proactive operational shift helped cushion disruptions when the fire broke out, although three international flights were diverted as a precautionary measure.
A British Airways flight was diverted to Abuja, while Lufthansa rerouted to Malabo. An Emirates service was also affected.
She, however, assured that flight operations would resume within 30 minutes once the situation was fully stabilised.
Kuku stated that the fire started on the ground floor of the old terminal and later escalated to parts of the roof before it was contained. Upon detection, FAAN immediately activated its Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), triggering established emergency response procedures.
Firefighters from FAAN, alongside Lagos State emergency services and security agencies, coordinated efforts to evacuate occupants and bring the situation under control. No fatalities were recorded.
“There is a standard procedure that we follow when it comes to emergencies, and we activated it immediately,” she said.
Although renovation works are ongoing within the airport environment ahead of a major overhaul, Kuku clarified that no construction activity was taking place in the specific area where the fire is believed to have originated.
She further stated that civil and structural engineers would assess the integrity of the affected building once the fire is completely extinguished to determine the next steps.
Reassuring passengers, the FAAN MD urged those with scheduled flights in the coming hours or days to proceed to the airport, emphasising that the overall operational disruption was limited due to the earlier relocation of most services to Terminal 2.
