On Monday, an Aero Contractor Flight NIG382 heading to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport encountered a bird strike on take-off at the Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA), Rivers State.
Also on Tuesday, another aircraft conveying the Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, and other passengers similarly encountered the same incident on take-off forcing the pilot to make an air return. Also on March 21, 2021, a Kano- Lagos Aero Contractors flight also returned to Kano after one of the engines suffered a bird strike during take-off with many passengers stranded at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport.
Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) in 2020 disclosed that Nigerian airlines lost about N6 billion to bird strike menace annually. Arik Air alone said it lost about $3.6 million to bird strikes between 2013 and 2019.