The United Nations has suspended its critical air service in Nigeria’s northeast because of severe funding shortages. Operated by the World Food Programme, the UN Humanitarian Air Service ended its fixed‑wing operations after nearly a decade of delivering aid workers and supplies to conflict zones. In 2024 alone, the service carried more than 9,000 passengers, including 4,500 humanitarian staff who relied on it to reach affected areas.
The service now requires $5.4 million to remain operational for the next six months. Without this funding, the humanitarian response in northeast Nigeria could be severely impeded, leaving vulnerable populations without essential aid. The shutdown coincides with significant financial shortfalls at the World Food Programme. In July, the agency warned it might have to suspend emergency food and nutrition aid for 1.3 million people in the region.
The closure highlights the growing strain on relief efforts as donor funding declines, threatening to deepen the country’s most protracted humanitarian emergencies. The UN has emphasized the importance of air transport in Nigeria, where road travel remains extremely dangerous after 16 years of conflict. Margot van der Velden, the agency’s regional director for West and Central Africa, stressed that $5.4 million is urgently needed to sustain food and nutrition operations for just six months.
Although the Nigerian government has provided significant support to relief efforts, international contributions remain crucial for maintaining operations at scale. The UN warned that the shutdown could have devastating consequences: humanitarian workers would lose safe access to remote, conflict‑affected communities, and families might be forced into desperate choices such as enduring worsening hunger or migrating under unsafe conditions. The loss of the air bridge may further isolate vulnerable populations in the northeast, where insurgency and instability have already displaced millions.
The appeal comes as humanitarian agencies worldwide confront shrinking donor budgets, driven by global economic pressures and competing crises. The suspension of the air service underscores the urgent need for funding to prevent a collapse of critical aid pipelines and to ensure the continued delivery of essential humanitarian assistance to those in need.
Comments are closed for this story.