The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has confirmed that airspace operations at Terminal One of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport have resumed following a fire outbreak that disrupted activities on Monday.

FAAN’s Managing Director, Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, told journalists that no lives were lost in the incident, although six persons sustained varying degrees of injuries. She said emergency response procedures were promptly activated, leading to the safe evacuation of passengers and airport personnel.

According to Kuku, three international flights were diverted as a result of the incident. These included flights operated by British Airways, Lufthansa and Emirates. British Airways was diverted to Abuja, Lufthansa to Malabo, while Emirates was also diverted to an alternate airport.

She said some airport operations were temporarily affected but assured that services would return to normal shortly after the reopening of the airspace. “Our immediate focus was to contain the fire. Investigations into the cause are ongoing,” Kuku stated.

The FAAN boss explained that the airport’s Emergency Operations Centre was immediately activated, with the airport manager taking charge as the chief safety and security officer. She noted that all responding agencies worked in line with established emergency protocols, with support from relevant state authorities.

Addressing concerns about ongoing renovation works, Kuku clarified that no construction activities were taking place in the area where the fire was suspected to have started. Preliminary findings, she said, indicated that the fire originated from the ground floor before spreading to the roof.

She confirmed that police units and helicopters were deployed to support rescue efforts, while professional civil and structural engineers had been engaged to assess the integrity of the affected building and advise on next steps.

Kuku said most arrivals and departures had been relocated, with departures largely moved to Terminal 2. She added that four airlines were expected to begin operations from a temporary terminal, which she described as ready for use within days.

While smoke was still visible hours after the incident, Kuku assured passengers that firefighters remained on standby as a precaution. She advised travellers with scheduled flights to proceed to the airport, noting that normal operations were expected to stabilise within hours.

The first outbound flight departed at about 7:20 p.m. after the airspace was reopened, marking a gradual return to normal operations at the Lagos airport.