KEY POINTS

• FAAN plans to shut Terminal One of Lagos airport in March for rehabilitation and expansion.

• The closure follows recurring power outages linked to ageing infrastructure.

• The project forms part of a wider aviation upgrade programme approved by the Federal Executive Council.

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, has announced plans to shut down Terminal One of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, in March as part of an extensive rehabilitation and expansion programme.

The authority said the temporary closure is necessary to address long-standing infrastructure challenges at the facility and to pave the way for comprehensive upgrades aimed at improving passenger safety, comfort and reliability.

FAAN disclosed the plan while responding to public concern over a power outage that affected the terminal on Saturday.

In a statement posted on X on Sunday, FAAN explained that the outage was caused by a fault in the terminal’s changeover circuit.

The agency said its technical teams responded immediately by transferring power supply to a secondary grid and activating interim backup measures to restore services.

“Our teams took immediate action to bridge the gap and transfer supply to the secondary grid, and interim backup measures were activated to restore services as quickly as possible,” FAAN said.

The authority apologised to passengers and other airport users who were inconvenienced by the disruption.

Permanent Fix Not Feasible Ahead of Rehabilitation

FAAN noted that while efforts are ongoing to mitigate disruptions, installing permanent backup power equipment at Terminal One is not practical at this stage because the facility is due to undergo major reconstruction.

“As we prepare to shut down Terminal One in one month as part of the MMIA Rehabilitation and Expansion Project, it is not feasible to install permanent new or additional backup equipment at this time,” the statement said.

The agency thanked passengers and stakeholders for their patience as it moves “from stop-gap solutions to lasting improvements”.

Power supply issues at the international terminal are not new. FAAN confirmed a similar blackout in 2024 that left passengers stranded, while other incidents were recorded in 2018 and earlier in 2026.

Industry observers have long pointed to ageing infrastructure and limited redundancy systems as major contributors to the recurring disruptions.

Part of Broader Aviation Upgrade Plan

The planned shutdown of Terminal One is linked to a wider modernisation drive in Nigeria’s aviation sector.

On 1 August 2025, the Federal Executive Council approved contracts valued at more than N900 billion for infrastructure upgrades across the country’s airports.

Announcing the approvals, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said the centrepiece of the programme is the full rehabilitation, upgrade and modernisation of Terminal One at MMIA, Lagos.

FAAN later confirmed, on 4 September 2025, that reconstruction works had commenced at the airport.