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Flights diverted
By Chinelo Obogo
The temporary terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) was shut down on Wednesday after an electrical spark in an operational office triggered smoke emission at 14:05 hours, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has said.
The incident prompted an immediate response from the office of the Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Services (ARFFS), which contained the situation before it could escalate.
FAAN said in a statement that electrical maintenance was ongoing to ensure that all electrical systems are functioning optimally ahead of the terminal’s reopening and that all flights currently operating from Terminal 3 were diverted to Terminal 2, with passengers advised to make necessary adjustments to their travel plans.
The incident comes barely five weeks after a serious fire incident at the old terminal. On Monday, February 23, 2026, a fire broke out and engulfed parts of the fourth and fifth floors of Terminal One of MMIA, disrupting flight operations. The fire, which started in the server room, injured six people, and 14 air traffic controllers, engineers and other officials on duty had to be evacuated.
Three international flights were diverted during that incident, including a British Airways flight to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, and Lufthansa and Emirates flights to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. The fire also destroyed primary air-to-ground communication equipment belonging to the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), forcing the agency to rely on emergency backup systems to keep flights operating safely.
Wednesday’s incident, however, did not result in the evacuation of passengers, and no injuries were recorded. FAAN said the terminal would reopen once electrical maintenance checks were completed and all systems confirmed to be functioning optimally.
