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Terminal Fire: Finally, NAMA Deploys Mobile Control Tower at MMIA
Chinedu Eze
Three weeks after the fire that gutted Terminal 1, known as the old terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) deployed mobile control tower last Friday to replace the one in the facility.
The fire which gutted the terminal on February 23, 2026, extensively damaged communication and engineering equipment of the agency, as well as that of other agencies, especially the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), which drastically affected the operations of these organizations.
THISDAY learnt on Saturday that although NAMA had deployed the mobile control tower, the equipment is yet to be activated and that would be done in the coming days.
NAMA in a statement signed by its spokesman, Dr Abdullahi Musa, said that despite the fact that the mobile tower is not in use yet, it is still effectively managing the airspace, disclosing that the Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network (AFTN) (used to exchange essential, safety-critical text messages between aviation entities, such as air traffic services, airports, and airlines), which was damaged by the fire had been fully restored and is now operational, with Aeronautical Information Service personnel currently working from the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) complex.
“Following the recent fire incident at the Aerodrome Control Tower of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, NAMA immediately activated contingency measures to ensure the uninterrupted provision of air navigation services. As part of these measures, the Agency initiated arrangements for the deployment of a Mobile Control Tower to serve as a temporary operational facility while restoration efforts on the main tower continue.
“However, the installation of aviation control infrastructure cannot be undertaken in a hurried or improvised manner. Such facilities must comply with strict engineering and operational standards designed to safeguard aircraft operations.
“First, the location chosen for the Mobile Control Tower must provide optimal visual coverage of the runway, taxiways and other critical portions of the airfield. This requirement is essential to enable air traffic controllers maintain effective situational awareness in managing aircraft movements on the ground and within the aerodrome environment,” he said.
