By Francis Ajuonuma
The United Nations has shut down a critical air service in Nigeria’s North-East, raising alarm that millions of people trapped in conflict, displacement, and hunger may now become unreachable.
The UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), operated by the World Food Programme (WFP), announced the suspension of its fixed-wing operations last week, following nearly a decade of ferrying humanitarian workers, medical supplies, and emergency food cargo to remote and hazardous areas in Borno and Yobe states.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, who briefed journalists in New York on Wednesday, stated that the shutdown was necessitated by a severe funding crisis, with $5.4 million urgently required to keep the service operational for just the next six months.
“In 2024 alone, UNHAS carried more than 9,000 passengers. Already this year, 4,500 humanitarian staff have relied on the service to reach affected areas,” Dujarric said.
“In a country that has experienced 16 years of conflict, where road transport remains extremely dangerous, air transport is essential. Without it, the humanitarian response risks being cut off from the very people it is meant to serve.”
The decision comes as the WFP itself battles a massive funding shortfall. In July, the agency warned it might suspend emergency food and nutrition aid for 1.3 million people in northeast Nigeria.
The UN now fears that without immediate donor intervention, humanitarian pipelines could collapse entirely, with devastating consequences.
Margot van der Velden, WFP’s regional director for West and Central Africa, emphasised that the $5.4 million gap poses a threat not only to flight services but also to food and nutrition operations across the region.
“Without air links, humanitarian workers lose safe access to conflict-hit communities where millions are already grappling with hunger, displacement, and violence,” she said. “Families may be forced into desperate choices, enduring worsening hunger, migrating in unsafe conditions, or falling prey to extremist groups exploiting vulnerabilities.”
While Nigeria’s government has provided unprecedented support and is now the largest financier of the emergency response, the UN insists that international donor contributions remain indispensable to sustaining operations at scale.
The shutdown underscores the deepening global funding crisis for humanitarian operations, as donor countries redirect shrinking budgets to competing emergencies in Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine.
For Nigeria’s northeast, the loss of the air bridge may prove catastrophic, further isolating vulnerable populations at a time when they can least afford it.
