By ITOHAN ABARA-LASERIAN

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) says the airspace at Murtala Muhammed International Airport Terminal One has reopened following a fire outbreak.

Managing Director, Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, told journalists on Monday there were no fatalities, but six people sustained injuries during the incident.

She said three international flights were diverted, including those operated by Emirates, British Airways and Lufthansa.

According to Kuku, “Some of our operations were affected; however, they will be back up and running in the next half an hour.”

She said the immediate priority was containing the fire, while investigations into the cause were ongoing.

“What is important is that we activated our emergency procedures and evacuated everyone with no fatalities due to coordinated efforts by all agencies,” she said.

Kuku said the airport’s Emergency Operations Centre had been activated, led by the airport manager as chief safety and security officer.

“He is taking charge. There is a standard procedure we follow when it comes to emergencies,” she added.

She noted that coordination among agencies followed established protocols, with support from relevant state authorities where necessary.

On renovation works, Kuku said projects were ongoing within the airport, but not in the area where the fire reportedly began.

“In the area we believe the fire started, nothing was happening at the time. People were only moving items out.

“The fire started from the ground floor, from our investigations so far. We are awaiting confirmation and cannot say more at this time,” she said.

She confirmed the fire escalated to the roof, adding that police and helicopters supported rescue operations swiftly.

“We have professionals, including civil and structural engineers, to assess the building’s integrity and determine the next steps,” she said.

Kuku said most departures and arrivals had been moved, with departures largely relocated to Terminal 2.

She added that four airlines were scheduled to move into the temporary terminal, which she described as ready for use.

“In terms of the full operations affected, I would say not a lot,” she said, adding that the temporary terminal would be active within days.

Addressing lingering smoke, Kuku assured passengers that firefighters would remain on ground as a precaution.

She said: “If you have friends or family on the diverted flights, British Airways went to Abuja, Lufthansa to Malabo, and Emirates was also diverted.

“However, for travelling passengers, operations will resume within half an hour. It is fine to come to the airport for flights in the coming hours or days.”

The first flight departed at about 7.20 p.m. after the airspace reopened, though smoke was still visible at the time of filing this report. (Text, excluding headline: NAN)

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