For years, Nigerian carriers don dey suffer millions for losses from bird strike incidents wey no dey stop. Di losses dey heavy, and nobody dey help di local operators. Di worst affected for recent months na United Nigeria Airlines. BusinessDay gather exclusive details of di carrier response to a June 7 bird-strike incident for Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport.
Dis story show di operational, logistical and financial burdens wey Nigerian airlines carry to uphold safety standards and keep flights running despite recurring disruptions. E be like say just past midnight on June 8, 2026, two engineers from United Nigeria Airlines take an empty plane no go business meeting but on urgent mission. Dem destination na Kano and dem objective na to restore an Airbus A320-200 wey don suffer bird strike for landing for Mallam Aminu International Airport, Kano and return am to airworthy condition.
Di airline no go earn any revenue from di aircraft wey fly to retrieve dem. Instead of making money, di airline go incur losses. Dis na di story of wetin dey happen behind di scenes for many Nigerian carriers wey dey fight to stay afloat for difficult terrain. For approximately 18:00 hours on Sunday, June 7, 2026, United Nigeria Airlines Flight UN0578 dey on final approach into Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport.
Di flight depart from Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MM2) for Lagos with di Airbus A320-200. Upon landing for Kano, dem discover say di aircraft don suffer bird strike. Dem immediately take di aircraft out of service. Per di airline strict safety protocols and for full compliance with international civil aviation regulations, no quick turnaround, no cutting of corners, no attempt to push di Airbus back into service until every system don undergo rigorous inspection. Affected passengers dem notify and fully take care of.
But for United Nigeria Airlines, di real work just dey begin. Within hours of di incident, United Nigeria Airlines mobilise im technical operations team. Dem immediately dispatch engineers to Kano dat same night to conduct full technical recovery on di aircraft. An empty ferry flight wey be aircraft wey dey carry no revenue-generating passengers, dey burn fuel, dey incur costs at every turn dem arrange purely to get di engineers to Kano and begin work.
A ferry flight for both directions, crew costs outside normal working hours, technical labour through di night, engineering parts, ground handling, airport fees dem log all no against a revenue-generating flight, but to repair damage caused by nature. Millions of naira lost. For an industry where safety dey non-negotiable, di only acceptable response to a compromised aircraft na complete one and dat na wetin United Nigeria Airlines deliver.
Di June 7 incident no be isolated one. United Nigeria Airlines don suffer more than seven bird strike incidents for 2026 alone, a pattern wey dey point to growing threat to aviation safety for Nigerian airports. Bird strikes rank among di most dangerous and costly hazards for commercial aviation worldwide, and Nigeria airports no dey immune. Each incident dey cost di airline millions to fix. Di financial toll across those seven-plus incidents dis year alone dey run into tens of millions of naira.
Ferry flights, emergency engineering deployments, aircraft downtime, passenger accommodation, none of dese costs dey appear on a departure board. Dem dey absorbed by di airline. Speaking to BusinessDay, di Chief Commercial Officer of United Nigeria Airlines, Dayo Olawuyi, reflect on di airline response to di incident and di wider bird-strike challenge wey dey confront Nigerian carriers, highlighting both di industry commitment to operational safety and di pressing need for stronger intervention and support from airport authorities.
“Di question never be whether an incident happen because dese dey outside our control, di question na wetin you do for di next 12 hours. For United Nigeria Airlines, our answer always be di same: we mobilise everything we get, we no wait for morning, and we no compromise. For United Nigeria Airlines, operational efficiency na di standard wey every decision we make dey measured against. When we get di bird strike incident, our engineering team dem dispatch to Kano at midnight, and dem work through di night because dat na wetin our safety culture demand and wetin our passengers deserve.
“But I want to be honest about di cost of dat commitment. Flying an empty aircraft to and from Kano for a technical recovery with zero revenue return na significant financial burden. With more than seven bird strike incidents recorded across our network for 2026 alone, di cumulative losses we dey absorb as an airline dey substantial. We dey talk about millions of naira for direct costs for incidents wey originate no from our aircraft, our crew, or our operations, but from di airspace environment for our airports.
“Bird strikes no be inevitable but dem dey manageable. Airports across di world deploy trained wildlife management teams, radar-equipped bird-detection systems, habitat modification programmes, and specialist deterrent equipment to reduce di risk of bird ingestion incidents. Dese na proven, effective interventions. We dey call on di Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and all relevant airport management bodies to invest for dedicated wildlife hazard management infrastructure and bring in qualified experts wey fit address dis issue.
“Nigerian airlines no fit keep absorbing dese losses for isolation. We go always do our part, we go always respond swiftly, safely, and with complete integrity when incidents occur. But preventing those incidents for di first place na shared responsibility, and airport authorities must do more,” e explain.
Di International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) dey maintain detailed guidelines on aerodrome wildlife management. Many of di world leading airports dey employ full-time wildlife biologists, operate acoustic and radar-based deterrent systems, and conduct regular habitat surveys. Dese na standard components of a safe aerodrome environment. By di time most of Kano don wake up for di morning of June 8, United Nigeria Airlines engineers don do dem work. Di Airbus A320-200 undergo comprehensive inspection and technical evaluation before dem clear am for service, after e don meet all regulatory and safety requirements. Di ferry operations don complete, di financial implications don absorb, and di disruption don successfully contain, another costly but necessary exercise for maintaining operational integrity and passenger safety.
