Following a bird strike at Abuja airport on Wednesday, an Airbus A320-200 was grounded, posing a serious operational dilemma for United Nigeria Airlines. A bird hit during landing caused another United Nigeria Airlines aircraft travelling from Port Harcourt to Abuja to be stopped. The airline spokeswoman, Chibuile Uloka, disclosed the incident in a statement on Wednesday. One of the airline’s CRJ-900 aircraft was involved in a different bird strike earlier in the day.
With the most recent development, the airline now has six planes grounded between January and April 2026 as a result of similar incidents. According to Uloka, the most recent occurrence was Flight UN0515, an Airbus A320-200 that was due to land at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at approximately 3:45 pm after taking off from Port Harcourt.
He noted that the aircraft’s nose section was impacted by the bird incident, but he reassured everyone that safety procedures were adhered to.
“United Nigeria Airlines is sorry to notify the public and our esteemed customers of another bird strike affecting one of our Airbus A320-200 planes. The aircraft’s nose section was impacted by the landing event, according to the statement.
The airline insisted that there was no compromise to passenger safety regardless of the circumstances, pointing out that the aircraft had been grounded for thorough inspections.
The statement reads, “The aircraft has been promptly removed from operations to undergo comprehensive technical inspections and any necessary maintenance before returning to service in compliance with our strict and uncompromising safety standards. This is our aircraft’s sixth bird strike of 2026. Because of the consequences for aviation safety and operational stability, we think this to be extremely alarming and unacceptable.
Because of this, certain flights within our network can have delays or not run on time. Since safety is still our first priority, we sincerely apologise for any trouble this may have caused and respectfully beg for your patience.
Travellers affected by the inconveniences have been encouraged to be patient as efforts are made to address the situation.
“Our employees are making every effort to reduce disruptions and provide support to any affected travellers. The airline went on, “We are still completely committed to giving our passengers the security, comfort, and dependability they require from us.