United Nigeria Airlines has confirmed another bird strike involving one of its Embraer 190 aircraft.
The airline disclosed that the incident happened during the takeoff of Flight UN0561 from Benin City Airport to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, scheduled for 16:20 p.m. on Thursday, 16 April 2026.
According to the airline, the bird strike affected the nose landing gear (NLG) door linkage of the aircraft.
This latest development brings the number of aircraft grounded due to bird strikes to three within 48 hours, marking the seventh such occurrence recorded in 2026.
In a statement, the airline’s spokesperson, Public Relations Officer Chibuike Uloka, described the trend as “an extremely concerning and unacceptable pattern given its impact on safety and operational reliability”.
“Consistent with our strict and uncompromising safety standards, the aircraft has been immediately withdrawn from operations, as with previous incidents, to allow for detailed technical inspections and all necessary maintenance before returning to service,” it stated.
The airline noted that while several bird strike incidents had occurred, it only reports those that result in aircraft being grounded due to damage.
“We urge the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to strengthen wildlife hazard management measures across major airports to minimize the risk of such occurrences.
“We sincerely apologize to our valued passengers for any inconvenience to their travel plans resulting from service disruptions caused by multiple bird strikes.
“We kindly ask for your understanding, as safety remains our highest priority. Our team is working diligently to minimize disruptions and provide support to all affected travelers,” it added.
Earlier, the airline had grounded a CRJ-900 aircraft following a bird strike during the landing of Flight UN0579 from Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, to Abuja on Tuesday.
The affected flight, scheduled for 18:15 p.m., was withdrawn from operations to undergo thorough technical checks and necessary maintenance in line with safety standards.
The incident also led to disruptions across some of the airline’s scheduled flights.