MMIA Terminal 1 Fire Incident: Operations Will Not Be Disrupted, Says Keyamo
The Minster of Aviation & Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo (SAN) says the fire incident which yesterday gutted parts of Terminal 1 of Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos will not disrupt flight operations because a temporary terminal had already been set up to enable demolition of the affected terminal, before yesterday’s unfortunate incident occurred.
Speaking today while inspecting site of the fire incident and the temporary Terminal 1, Keyamo said the temporary terminal , which is located at the aircraft apron, was set up for use by airlines, pending the demolition and completion of construction of the new Terminal 1 building, which is already in progress.
Temporary control towers are presently being used and “mobile towers will arrive today,” he said, adding that the temporary terminal had capacity to accommodate four airlines at a time.
Fire that erupted yesterday at the MMIA Terminal 1 damaged several equipment including weather equipments belonging to Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet). Most equipment in the burnt Terminal 1 had become obsolete due to poor maintenance and this informed the approval of funds by the Federal Executive Council in 2025 for construction of a new Terminal 1, which has a timeline of 22 months.
Keyamo said over 60% of international passengers fly into Nigeria through MMIA. He appealed to Nigerians to be patient with the airport construction which he says constitutes one of the major projects of the current administration. The MMIA Terminal 1 part of which got burnt was constructed in 1977.
