When birds strike planes

By Dickson Omobola

Since the beginning of this year, no fewer than 10 bird strikes have been recorded by Nigerian airlines, thereby leading to operational disruptions and financial losses.

The rising incidents, which experts say have assumed a frightening dimension, have subjected operators to costly unscheduled maintenance, temporary grounding of aircraft and ticket refunds due to flight disruptions.

Passengers have also not been spared, as delays and cancellations caused by these incidents have forced many to miss important engagements, while others have been stranded for hours at airports.

There are more than six domestic airlines operating in Nigeria, including Air Peace, Arik Air, Ibom Air, United Nigeria Airlines, UNA, ValueJet, Aero Contractors, Max Air, Enugu Air and XeJet.

However, West Africa’s largest airline, Air Peace, and UNA appear to be the worst hit, given their repeated disclosures of such incidents in recent weeks.

The latest incident involved an Air Peace aircraft operating the Gatwick-Lagos route, which suffered a bird strike that led to the stranding of passengers in London on May 1.

Timelines

A document obtained by Sunday Vanguard showed that the airline recorded several other incidents between January and March 2026 on various routes including Owerri-Lagos, Lagos-Asaba and Asaba-Lagos.

For instance, on January 5, 2026, Air Peace suffered a bird strike in Abuja.

13 days later, the airline’s Owerri-Lagos flight suffered another bird-related damage upon arrival in Lagos.
On January 28, another wildlife strike involving the carrier occurred on the Lagos-Asaba route.

Less than a month later, specifically on February 20, the airline suffered another bird strike in Kano and, on March 19, on a flight scheduled to operate the Asaba-Lagos route.

Likewise, UNA suffered three major bird strikes between April 14 and 16. The last of the incidents, which happened within 48 hours, damaged the aircraft’s nose landing gear door linkage during takeoff of Flight UN0561 from Benin City Airport to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Few hours earlier, the airline’s Airbus A320 operating Flight UN0515 from Port Harcourt to Abuja was struck by a bird while landing at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, damaging the aircraft’s nose section.

On April 14, its CRJ-900 aircraft operating Flight UN0579 from Kano was also struck by a bird while approaching Abuja.

An Ibom Air aircraft also recorded a bird strike while on short final approach into Lagos from Uyo during the same period.

Insights

Spokesperson for UNA, Chibuike Uloka, who shared insights into the scale of the problem and its implications, said conservative estimates show that UNA had spent about $45,000 (N61,332,300) on emergency repairs in recent weeks.

Speaking to Sunday Vanguard, Uloka said: “Whenever you have a bird strike, if it’s something that happens on the engine, it is not what you can assess physically, you will need a borescope inspection, and there is no one with the skill here in Nigeria. You have to bring these people from overseas. A borescope for each engine costs about $30,500. The majority of bird strikes we recorded had something to do with the engine.

“If the inspection is done on the engine and they say the engine is fine but the fan blade is damaged, you have to buy fan blades. Fan blades cost a lot of money, and each of the blades cost about $800 or $1,000. You have to buy as many as the number of fans damaged to replace them.

“The last one we recorded had to do with the linkage of the aircraft. It’s something that happened on the body of the aircraft, not the engine. There are no parts of the aircraft less than $500. Having suffered seven bird strikes in the space of four months, from the engine to the body of the aircraft, it’s a lot of money spent. You probably can estimate that we have spent about $45,000 or more.”

Disrupted schedule

Beyond repair costs, Uloka said the incidents consistently disrupted their flight schedules and revenue generation.

He said: “These incidents have a serious impact on our schedule. On one of those aircraft, we have at least a minimum of six sectors. If we are talking about the Airbus, which has been the victim of this bird strike more or less for a long time, it has a 167 capacity. So, if we are estimating at a passenger load of 130 because there are sectors where we have the full capacity of the flights to and fro, there are some whereby we have about 90 passengers or thereabouts. What we are talking about is 130 times six sector flights cancelled in a day. We benchmark our seats at $100 each because aviation is a dollar-based business. If you calculate that, you will know that it is a lot of money.”

Financial burden

While efforts to get comments from other airlines proved unsuccessful, operators are of the view that soaring collisions with birds are increasing their financial burden, given that they are already grappling with high fuel costs, foreign exchange pressures and limited access to financing.

Recently, Airline Operators of Nigeria, AON, expressed sadness over the situation and lamented that bird strikes account for nearly half of aircraft downtime experienced in the country.

Spokesperson for AON, Professor Obiora Okonkwo, who is also the Chairman of UNA, said this at the just concluded 2026 edition of IATA Focus Africa Conference, themed: ‘Elevating Aviation Safety, Connectivity, and Operational Efficiency in Africa,’ held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Speaking as a panelist, Okonkwo said: “From January to April, we (UNA) have had seven bird strikes. As we speak now, we (UNA) have two aircraft on AOG. So, I am calling on the Original Equipment Manufacturers, OEMs, to also help us with equipment to fight bird strikes. I know you may have done that in other regions, we need that in Nigeria in all honesty. We want you to get involved because that will help us. 40 to 50 per cent of our downtime is caused by bird strike, so you can help us in that area. It is a special appeal.”

Passengers speak

For domestic travellers, the incidents have caused frequent disruptions to personal plans.

Akin, a frequent flyer, told Sunday Vanguard that “Last year, I experienced one such incident in Port Harcourt while travelling for my cousin’s wedding. Due to the delay caused by the bird strike, I arrived at my destination very late and could not present my gift to my cousin until after the wedding.”

Another passenger, Chukwuma, said: “Bird strikes happen in developing countries, but I am not sure they occur at the level seen in Nigeria. In January, I booked a flight with one of the biggest airlines in the country to travel to Delta State, where I was supposed to join my family to collect bride price list from my prospective in-laws. I could not make the trip that day because the flight was eventually cancelled due to a bird strike. We had to postpone and I had to cough out extra money to book another airline before I was refunded.”

Reason

Meanwhile, a wildlife expert told Sunday Vanguard that seasonal environmental changes and poor environmental management around airports are contributing to rising bird strikes across the country’s airports.

Bio Monitoring Officer at the Nigerian Conservation Forum, NCF, Mr Jalo Muhammed, said bird activity is more frequent during this period of the year due to seasonal environmental changes.

According to the ornithologist, birds are often attracted to airport environments in Nigeria because these areas provide suitable conditions for feeding, resting and breeding. He said large expanses of open grasslands around runways are natural habitats for species such as lapwings, egrets, kites and quelea birds, which allow them to forage easily while maintaining visibility against predators.

Muhammed said: “Poor waste management around airport terminals and nearby communities can attract scavenging birds such as vultures and crows. Water bodies, drainage systems, and temporary flood pools created during Nigeria’s rainy season also provide drinking sources and attract waterbirds.

In addition, agricultural activities, abattoirs, fish markets, and refuse dumps located close to airports can increase bird presence by offering abundant food resources. Nigeria’s tropical climate and seasonal migration patterns further contribute to bird abundance.

“In addition, this period often coincides with breeding seasons for some resident species, leading to increased movement as birds search for food and nesting sites. Migratory bird movements may also contribute, as some species pass through or arrive in Nigeria during seasonal transitions. These factors together lead to a higher presence of birds near airports.”

Solution

Muhammed, however, said the most effective way to mitigate bird strike is through integrated wildlife hazard management strategies.

According to him, airports should conduct regular bird hazard assessments to identify high-risk species and movement patterns.

He said: “Habitat modification, such as proper grass management, draining standing water and eliminating food sources like waste dumps, helps make airport environments less attractive to birds. The use of bird deterrent systems, including pyrotechnics, distress calls and radar technology, can effectively disperse birds from critical flight zones. Collaboration with surrounding communities to regulate nearby farming, abattoirs, and waste disposal activities is also essential for long-term prevention. This approach may reduce the number of bird strikes, if not all.”

Priority

For his part, aviation expert, Alex Nwuba, urged the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, to treat wildlife hazard management with priority, saying this is necessary because the country’s airports are sending the wrong message to investors.

He said: “Insurers and lessors do not see isolated events; they see patterns. They see an environment where preventable hazards are not being prevented. And they price that risk into every lease, every premium, every negotiation. Airports around the world use a layered, disciplined approach to wildlife hazard management. One of the most effective tools is the use of non lethal green beam laser deterrents, already deployed at airports in Europe, North America and the Middle East.

“These lasers do not harm birds. Instead, they create a moving visual stimulus that birds instinctively avoid. They are particularly effective at dawn and dusk, the very periods when many bird strikes occur. A simple sweep of the runway environment before aircraft movement can clear flocks long before they become a threat.”

Meanwhile, efforts to reach FAAN to find out what it is doing to mitigate the incident across its airports were unsuccessful. Spokesperson for the agency, Henry Agbebire, did not take his calls.

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