The United Nations (UN) has halted a vital humanitarian air service in Nigeria’s troubled northeast, citing severe funding shortages that threaten to cut off aid workers and supplies from conflict-hit communities.

Naijaonpoint reports that the U.N. Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), managed by the World Food Programme (WFP), ended its fixed-wing operations last week after nearly a decade of supporting relief efforts in Borno and Yobe states.

“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,” U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters in New York on Wednesday.

“For nine years, the service has transported humanitarian staff, medical supplies, and critical cargo to and from the epicentre of the crisis in Borno and Yobe states. In a country that has experienced 16 years of conflict, where road transport remains extremely dangerous, air transport is essential.”

$5.4 Million Needed to Sustain Operations

According to the UN, the suspension came after repeated warnings that $5.4 million is urgently required to keep the service running for the next six months.

“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,” Dujarric warned.

Naijaonpoint understands that the shutdown comes as the World Food Programme grapples with severe financial constraints.

In July, the agency said it might be forced to suspend emergency food and nutrition aid for 1.3 million people in the northeast.

WFP’s regional director for West and Central Africa, Margot van der Velden, said: “We urgently need $5.4 million just to sustain food and nutrition operations in the region for six months.”

Nigerian Govt Supports, But Global Donors Still Needed

Although the Nigerian government has emerged as the largest financier of the emergency response, the UN stressed that international contributions remain essential to sustain operations at scale.

“The humanitarian response in northeast Nigeria risks being cut off from the very people it is meant to serve,” Dujarric said, adding that without donor support, “critical aid pipelines will collapse.”

The UN warned that the closure of air links could have devastating consequences for vulnerable communities already reeling from hunger, displacement, and extremist violence.

“Without air links, humanitarian workers lose safe access to remote conflict-affected communities,” the UN said.

It further cautioned that families may be forced into desperate choices, including migrating in unsafe conditions, facing worsening hunger, or falling prey to extremist groups exploiting the crisis.

The UN noted that shrinking donor budgets worldwide, driven by global economic pressures and competing emergencies in Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine, have worsened the situation.

“For Nigeria’s northeast, where insurgency and instability have already displaced millions, the loss of a vital air bridge may further isolate vulnerable populations at a time when they can least afford it,” the statement added.