NAHCO Aviance spends $40m on equipment

The chairman of Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO Aviance), Mallam Suleiman Yahyah has said that the company spent in the last for years $20 million to acquire ground handling equipment and another $20 million to construct its customs bonded warehouse sited at the international wing of the MurtalaMuhammed Airport, Lagos.

Besides, he disclosed that in the past 12 months, the company spent about N500 million to train its technical staff.
Speaking at an event organised for the company’s clients in Lagos recently, Yahyah said the company would not relent in training of its staff for improved performance.

He used the occasion to call on the federal government to improve the infrastructure at the nation’s airports especially at the Lagos Airport saying the facilities needed replacement to aid the handling company boost its services.
“The infrastructure at our airports especially at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos need rehabilitation. They were built to support five million passengers but today, we have about 15 million passengers using them annually. The workers are doing their best under this condition, but we need the government to come to our aid,” he said.

The chairman also said the ground handling firm would expand its scope outside Nigeria.
“We are planning to set up in Senegal, Equatorial Guinea and other countries within the sub-region. We will unveil our 2014/2015 strategic plan very soon. We know the industry in Nigeria will grow by about 15 per cent in the next two years and this means we will need more equipment, which we are ready to tackle. Operational challenges will be tackled in 2014/2015 strategic plan,” said Yahyah.

Also speaking at the event, the managing director of the company, Mr.KayodeOluwasegun-Ojo, said as an operator in the aviation sector, Nahcoaviance “has had to meet up with the dynamism in the industry through improved services to its clients” and urged them (clients) to maintain the existing symbiotic relationship between them.