The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has confirmed that a devastating fire at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos completely destroyed its critical air-to-ground communication equipment, severely affecting primary systems used for air traffic control.
NAMA’s Managing Director, Engineer Farouk Umar, led an on-site assessment and disclosed that the blaze wiped out vital operational tools, forcing the agency to immediately deploy backup systems relocated from other locations to maintain air traffic services without major interruption.
The incident occurred on Monday at the old Terminal 1 of the airport, where the fire reportedly started in a server room on the first floor before spreading upward.
It destroyed equipment on higher floors, including devices used by NAMA for communication and by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) for weather monitoring.
Umar, who visited the airport on Wednesday to assess the damage, explained that air traffic controllers are now relying on temporary backup equipment to ensure operations continue safely.
“The fire has affected our air-to-ground communication completely. What you see on the ground to sustain air traffic service is the backup we moved from other locations to maintain operations in Lagos. What we have seen is a huge loss as far as communication is concerned. Other air traffic services were really disrupted, so we had no option at that time but to suspend inbound aircraft into Lagos,” he stated.
Despite the disruption, Umar commended the prompt response and bravery of NAMA personnel, noting that workers risked their lives to salvage the situation instead of evacuating immediately.
NAMA reassured airlines, passengers, and stakeholders that Nigeria’s airspace remains safe and operations have been fully restored through contingency measures, including a temporary control setup.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, who visited the site yesterday, announced plans to demolish the affected terminal building. The terminal was already slated for reconstruction, but the extensive damage from the fire has accelerated the process.
