We lost critical communication infrastructure in MMIA fire – NAMA MD
The fire outbreak which occurred on Monday at Terminal 1 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport reportedly destroyed critical equipment belonging to the Nigerian Airspace Management Authority, leading to significant disruption of air traffic operations in Lagos.
The Managing Director of NAMA, Umar Farouk, disclosed this on Wednesday after inspecting the damaged facilities. He said the blaze completely knocked out the agency’s primary air-to-ground communication system, which enables direct contact between pilots and air traffic controllers.
According to him, the loss of the core communication infrastructure compelled the agency to temporarily suspend inbound flights into Lagos at the height of the crisis as a precautionary safety measure.
“What we saw was actually a huge loss as far as communication is concerned. Other air traffic services were disrupted. We had no option at that time but to suspend inbound aircraft into Lagos,” Farouk said.
He explained that NAMA immediately activated its contingency plans by deploying emergency backup systems and drawing support from other operational centres nationwide to stabilise air traffic services within the Lagos airspace.
Farouk noted that the Director of Operations and Engineering was promptly assigned to assess the extent of the damage, while emergency response protocols were put in place to restore partial operations within a short time.
Despite the setback, he assured airlines, passengers and other stakeholders that the nation’s airspace remains safe, stressing that communication, aerodrome approach and area control services remain operational.
The NAMA chief added that a comprehensive assessment would be required to determine the financial cost of the destroyed equipment, describing aviation communication tools as highly technical and valuable. He maintained that the swift activation of backup systems helped prevent a prolonged shutdown at Nigeria’s busiest international gateway.
