The Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Farouk Umar, has revealed that critical air-to-ground communication equipment was destroyed during Monday’s fire outbreak at Terminal 1 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, forcing air traffic controllers to rely entirely on emergency backup systems to sustain flight operations.
Umar disclosed this while assessing the impact of the incident, which disrupted airport operations, triggered flight diversions, and prompted a large-scale emergency response. According to him, the damage dealt a heavy blow to operational infrastructure essential for aircraft communication and air navigation services.
Umar said, “Let me be honest with you, 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. 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 NAMA boss explained that the agency’s management was in a meeting when news of the fire broke, prompting an immediate operational response.
The incident comes amid ongoing Federal Government plans to redevelop ageing airport infrastructure at the Lagos airport, with aviation authorities expected to carry out a comprehensive assessment of losses and commence restoration of damaged communication facilities.
When the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, visited the site of the incident on Tuesday, he confirmed that the fire had wreaked havoc. He particularly said offices and equipment of the Nigeria Meteorological Agency were destroyed.
Umar said senior technical officials were swiftly deployed to evaluate the situation and stabilise air traffic services at Nigeria’s busiest airport.
“We were in a management meeting when this incident was reported. I immediately dispatched the directors of operations and engineering to come and see things for themselves. What we saw actually was a huge loss as far as communication is concerned. Also, air traffic services were really disrupted,” Umar recounted.
He added that aviation authorities were compelled to temporarily halt inbound flights into Lagos at the height of the emergency to guarantee safety while contingency procedures were activated.
“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 in which we found ourselves,” the NAMA boss noted.
The fire, which engulfed sections of Terminal 1 of the airport on Monday afternoon, affected multiple aviation installations located within the facility.
Despite the extensive damage, Umar reassured passengers, airlines, and international partners that Nigeria’s airspace remains safe, stressing that professional coordination among aviation personnel prevented a more serious operational crisis.
His words, “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 remains safe because we take safety as sacrosanct.”
He added that emergency backup systems were quickly redeployed from other operational locations to ensure continuity of service, allowing flights to resume after initial disruptions.
The NAMA chief said, “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.”
