The United Nations has allocated 48 million dollars from its Central Emergency Response Fund to support the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) in eight countries including Nigeria.
The Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, released the funds to ensure the air service continues operating and helping humanitarian workers reach people in need.
The money will keep UNHAS flights running in Nigeria, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Kenya, South Sudan, Sudan and Syria. This will allow thousands of aid workers from the UN, non-governmental organisations and civil society groups to continue delivering assistance in difficult and conflict-hit areas.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told journalists at the UN headquarters in New York on Thursday that UNHAS remains a lifeline for humanitarian operations. He explained that the service helps aid workers and critical supplies reach people who cannot be accessed by road due to insecurity or poor infrastructure, according to the World Food Programme which manages the air service.
Dujarric however warned that with humanitarian funding shrinking globally, UNHAS could be forced to suspend more flights if additional support does not come.
He noted that the latest allocation was made possible by a recent two billion dollar contribution from the United States to UN-managed humanitarian funds.
The UN had in September 2025 halted its fixed-wing operations in Nigeria after funds ran out. That suspension cut off a vital lifeline for humanitarian workers in the country’s conflict-hit northeast.
The development came amid a worsening funding crisis that forced the World Food Programme to warn of possible cuts to emergency food and nutrition aid for over 1.3 million people in Northeast Nigeria.
In 2024, the UN air service transported more than 9,000 passengers in Nigeria, while in 2025 over 4,500 humanitarian staff depended on the flights to reach communities isolated by conflict.
The new funding is expected to restore and sustain these critical operations across the affected countries.
