United Nigeria Airlines (UNA) has raised an alarm over the rising frequency of wildlife hazards at Nigerian airports after a sixth bird strike incident in just four months forced the grounding of an Airbus A320-200 on Wednesday.
The incident occurred as Flight UN0515, arriving from Port Harcourt, touched down at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
The impact, which affected the aircraft’s nose section, has left the airline with two aircraft grounded in less than 24 hours, triggering a wave of disruptions across its domestic network.
In a statement, the airline described the trend as “deeply concerning and unacceptable,” citing the grave implications for aviation safety and the financial burden of frequent technical inspections.
“This marks the sixth bird strike involving our aircraft so far in 2026,” the airline’s Public Relations Office stated. “In line with our strict safety standards, the aircraft has been immediately withdrawn from operations to undergo thorough technical inspections.”
Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha
Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers.
She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay.
She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos.
As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender.
She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies.
Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the
prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category.
She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category.
She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations.
Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.
