Nigeria’s aviation industry is facing mounting pressure as local airlines reportedly lose over N20 billion annually to increasing bird strike incidents across the country’s airports.
The growing crisis is adding to the challenges already confronting domestic carriers, including rising aviation fuel prices, foreign exchange instability, multiple taxes, and shrinking aircraft fleets.
Findings revealed that bird strikes — collisions between birds and aircraft during takeoff, landing, or flight — have become more frequent at Nigerian airports, forcing airlines to spend millions on engine repairs, aircraft maintenance, and operational disruptions.
Industry data showed that between January and May 2026 alone, Nigerian airlines recorded more than eight major bird strike incidents, raising fresh concerns over aviation safety and the financial survival of local operators.
Airlines warned that the incidents are becoming one of the most expensive and dangerous threats facing air transportation in the country.
The losses often include severe engine damage, structural repairs, emergency inspections, delayed flights, and operational downtime, with aviation experts estimating that replacing a heavily damaged aircraft engine can cost as much as N720 million or more.
Operators also fear the growing trend could damage Nigeria’s global aviation reputation, increase insurance premiums, discourage foreign investment, and lead to more flight disruptions nationwide.
The development comes despite earlier assurances by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria that measures were being introduced to tackle wildlife hazards around airports.
FAAN had announced plans in 2024 to deploy wildlife-control equipment acquired from Canada to reduce bird activity near runways and improve Nigeria’s aviation safety ratings with the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
However, airlines insist the situation has worsened instead of improving.
Air Peace Chairman, Allen Onyema, revealed that the airline recorded 115 bird strike incidents within the last five years, with over 30 cases occurring in a single year alone.
According to him, two of the incidents nearly ended in tragedy.
One reportedly occurred at Sam Mbakwe Airport in Owerri, while another happened at the Port Harcourt International Airport.
In Port Harcourt, a large bird allegedly struck an aircraft’s landing gear during landing, causing serious damage to the plane, although the pilot landed safely.
Another incident in Owerri reportedly saw a bird crash into the aircraft mid-flight and shatter the cockpit windshield, sparking fears of cabin depressurisation before the aircraft eventually landed safely.
United Nigeria Airlines also confirmed that one of its Airbus A320 aircraft recently suffered a bird strike at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
The airline said the incident affected the aircraft’s nose section shortly after landing, forcing the plane out of operation for mandatory safety inspections and further straining its already limited fleet.
A senior airline official disclosed that repairing a damaged aircraft engine could cost between $100,000 and $3.5 million depending on the extent of the damage.
“As for costs, an engine repair could range from $20,000 at the absolute minimum to about $3.5 million if the engine is completely destroyed,” the source said.
“The airlines are losing millions of dollars. We once spent about $1.5 million to replace an engine after a bird strike.”
Aviation stakeholders have now called for urgent government intervention, warning that persistent bird strike incidents could force airlines to scale down operations, increase ticket prices, or ground more aircraft.
Industry analyst and General Secretary of the Aviation Round Table Initiative, Olumide Ohunayo, warned that Nigeria risks losing investor confidence if authorities fail to tackle the problem urgently.
“It will increase leasing costs and insurance premiums because aviation operates like a global village,” he said.
Ohunayo also urged aviation authorities to adopt scientific and technology-driven wildlife management systems capable of monitoring bird migration routes and preventing birds from approaching airport runways.
