According to Punch, the fire prevented a Max Air flight from taking off while an Arik flight had to return to base.

The fire also prevented a Dana flight from Abuja to Port Harcourt from landing at the airport. The flight had to return to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

A source, who spoke to Punch said it was a bush fire, adding that the airport had been closed for the smoke to dissipate and would be opened within a short period.

However, at the time of filing this report, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria had not reacted to the incident.