The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has confirmed that critical air-to-ground communication equipment was destroyed during Monday’s fire at Terminal 1 of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. The incident forced air traffic controllers to rely entirely on emergency backup systems to maintain flight operations.
Managing Director Farouk Umar revealed the extent of the damage while assessing the situation on Wednesday. “The fire has affected our air-to-ground communication completely. What you see on the ground to sustain air traffic service is the backup that we moved from other places to sustain Lagos,” Umar said.
The fire disrupted airport operations, prompted flight diversions, and triggered a large-scale emergency response. Aviation authorities temporarily halted inbound flights to guarantee safety while contingency procedures were activated. Umar added, “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.”
The Festus Keyamo confirmed during a site visit on Tuesday that the fire had caused extensive damage, particularly destroying offices and equipment of the Nigeria Meteorological Agency.
Despite the loss, Umar reassured the public that Nigeria’s airspace remains safe. “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,” he said, emphasizing that no lives were lost.
NAMA has deployed senior technical officials to stabilise air traffic services and will carry out a full assessment to restore damaged communication facilities. Umar concluded, “I want to assure Nigerians that the air-to-ground communications will remain uninterrupted.”
