United Nigeria Airline has recently faced a series of alarming incidents, with a third reported bird strike occurring within approximately 48 hours. This latest event involved an Embraer 190 operating Flight UN0561, which suffered an impact shortly after taking off from Benin Airport at around 4:20 p.m. on Thursday, April 16th. The aircraft, which was en route to Abuja, sustained damage to its nose landing gear door linkage and was subsequently withdrawn from service for detailed inspections and maintenance, further exacerbating operational disruptions across the airline's network.

Prior to this incident, the airline had already reported two separate bird-strike occurrences within a 24-hour period. One of these incidents took place during landing at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, while the other affected a CRJ-900 aircraft arriving from Kano. These back-to-back events had previously forced the grounding of two aircraft, leading to significant disruptions in scheduled operations. At the time, the airline had described these incidents as “deeply concerning,” noting that they had brought the total number of bird strikes involving its fleet in 2026 to six, with immediate operational consequences for passengers.

The newest bird strike has compounded these concerns, bringing the total number of grounded aircraft due to such incidents within 48 hours to three, and elevating the total count of bird strikes recorded in 2026 for the airline to seven. While bird strikes are not unusual in aviation globally, their frequency within such a compressed timeframe has significantly heightened concerns regarding safety and operational reliability. The airline emphasizes that it only reports cases where damage is severe enough to necessitate grounding the aircraft, suggesting that minor, non-disruptive encounters may occur more frequently.

Aviation analyst Nura Ahmad commented on the clustering of these incidents, calling it unusual and pointing towards potential deficiencies in wildlife control measures around airports. Ahmad highlighted that while bird strikes are an inherent global risk, “having multiple aircraft grounded within days raises concern and calls for a closer look at conditions around the airfields.”

In response, United Nigeria Airlines has reaffirmed its commitment to safety by immediately grounding all affected aircraft. The airline stated, “Consistent with our strict and uncompromising safety standards, the aircraft has been withdrawn from operations to allow for detailed technical inspections.” However, the repeated groundings have placed considerable strain on the airline’s operations, severely reducing fleet availability and resulting in widespread delays and cancellations across its routes. Consequently, the airline has urged the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to enhance its wildlife hazard management strategies at airports to mitigate the risk of such incidents, which are often linked to environmental factors like poor waste management and natural habitats attracting birds near flight paths, especially during critical phases of take-off and landing.