The United Nations has suspended its humanitarian air service in northeastern Nigeria due to a critical lack of funding, raising fears of deeper isolation for conflict-affected communities already struggling with hunger, displacement, and violence.

The U.N. Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), operated by the World Food Programme (WFP), shut down its fixed-wing operations last week after nearly a decade of transporting aid workers, medical supplies, and relief cargo into insecure areas of 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. “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.”

For nine years, the service has provided a lifeline in a region plagued by insurgency, where road travel remains extremely dangerous due to ambushes and attacks.

The suspension comes as the WFP faces unprecedented financial shortfalls. In July, the agency warned it might suspend emergency food and nutrition aid for 1.3 million people in the northeast.

Margot van der Velden, WFP’s regional director for West and Central Africa, stressed that the agency urgently requires $5.4 million just to sustain operations for six months.

Although the Nigerian government has stepped up support and is now the largest financier of the emergency response, the U.N. emphasised that international contributions remain indispensable.

“The humanitarian response in northeast Nigeria risks being cut off from the very people it is meant to serve,” Dujarric warned. “Without air links, humanitarian workers lose safe access to remote conflict-affected communities, where millions are already grappling with hunger, displacement, and violence.”

The U.N. cautioned that the consequences could be devastating, with families facing worsening hunger, unsafe migration, or exploitation by extremist groups.

The crisis in Nigeria reflects a broader trend as humanitarian agencies worldwide confront shrinking donor budgets, strained by global economic pressures and simultaneous crises in Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine.

“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 U.N. statement added.