UN Shuts Down Critical Air Service in Nigeria’s Northeast Over Funding Shortages

The United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), operated by the World Food Programme (WFP), has suspended its fixed-wing operations in Nigeria’s northeast, citing severe funding shortages that could cripple aid delivery to millions in conflict-hit areas.

The shutdown, announced on Wednesday in New York by U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, marks the end of nearly a decade of air support for humanitarian workers and supplies in one of Africa’s longest-running crises.

What the UN Said

“In 2024, UNHAS fixed-wing flights carried more than 9,000 passengers. Already this year, 4,500 humanitarian staff have relied on the service to reach affected areas,” Dujarric told reporters.
“UNHAS cannot continue without funding. $5.4 million is needed to remain operational for the next six months. Without this funding, the humanitarian response in northeast Nigeria risks being cut off from the very people it is meant to serve.”

He stressed that in a region plagued by insecurity and insurgency, where road transport remains dangerous, air services have been essential for reaching Borno and Yobe States, the epicenter of Nigeria’s 16-year conflict.

WFP’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Margot van der Velden, said the agency urgently requires $5.4 million to sustain both air services and food operations in the northeast for just six months.

Mounting Challenges

The closure comes as WFP itself faces worsening financial gaps. In July, the agency warned it may be forced to suspend emergency food and nutrition support for 1.3 million people in northeastern Nigeria. That grim possibility now looms larger.

What This Means

Humanitarian agencies warn that without the air link:

• Aid workers will lose safe access to remote, conflict-affected communities.
• Families already facing hunger and displacement could be cut off from assistance.
• Vulnerable households may be pushed into dangerous alternatives, including migration under unsafe conditions or exploitation by extremist groups.

Nigeria’s government remains the largest single financier of the emergency response in the northeast, but international donor contributions are still crucial to sustaining operations at scale.

“The humanitarian response in northeast Nigeria risks being cut off from the very people it is meant to serve,” Dujarric reiterated, urging donors to step in.

The appeal comes at a time when aid agencies worldwide face shrinking donor budgets, as global economic pressures and competing crises in Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine stretch resources thin.

For Nigeria’s northeast—where insurgency has displaced millions and insecurity continues to threaten lives—the grounding of UNHAS flights may further isolate vulnerable populations at a time when they can least afford it.