Airline Faces Another Bird Strike Outrage

Airline Faces Another Bird Strike Outrage

Flight operations at United Nigeria Airlines have been disrupted after another aircraft was grounded following a third bird strike within 48 hours.

The latest incident happened on Thursday during take-off from Benin City Airport, affecting a flight bound for Abuja.

The airline confirmed that the aircraft suffered damage and was withdrawn from service as a safety measure.

The affected aircraft, an Embraer 190 operating Flight UN0561, was hit shortly after take-off, damaging its Nose Landing Gear door linkage.

The airline said this adds to a growing list of bird strike incidents recorded within a short period.

It noted that such occurrences are only reported when they cause damage serious enough to ground an aircraft.

The development has raised fresh concerns about aviation safety, as the airline has now recorded seven bird strike incidents in 2026 alone.

It also pointed to earlier disruptions, including a recent case involving a CRJ-900 aircraft on a Kano-Abuja route, which affected flight schedules and led to delays across its network.

It apologised to passengers for the inconvenience, assuring that all safety procedures are being followed and no aircraft will return to service without proper checks.