BY OLAPEJU OLUBI
The Nigerian Aviation Handling Company PLC (nahco aviance) has reeled out an ambitious growth plan, including a N100 billion revenue target over the next five years.
The company’s Chairman, Dr. Seinde Oladapo Fadeni made the disclosure at the weekend on the sidelines of the firm’s 2024 Annual General Meeting held in Lagos at the weekend.
According to him, plans were afoot to diversify NAHCO’s investment portfolio in order to create new jobs, contribute significantly to resolving the country’s foreign exchange crisis and generally help reflate the economy.
Fadeni added that the company was exploring new areas of investment in order to trigger positive economic impact.
According to him, the company is smoothening the export ecosystem with the conviction that the food export holds significant potential for foreign exchange earnings because of its impact on the livelihoods and prosperity of many Nigerians.
He said that though the company was navigating safely around the myriad of challenges confronting the air transport space, the government needs to look at ways of improving airport infrastructure to remain consistent with its future growth blueprint.
Fadeni charged other relevant stakeholders in the industry to explore ways of implementing policies that support sustainable aviation fuel, being a major consumer of airlines’ revenue.
The NAHCO Chairman further noted that concrete targets should be set and steps taken to execute innovations that support the industry and the world’s net zero CO2 emission goals.
He said :” NAHCO believes that the government at the centre should work towards reducing the financial burden for airlines and passengers by reviewing applicable taxes . This way, more payees would be brought into the tax net. Not too long, the international Air Transport Association declared that Nigerian airports charge foreign airlines about 27 levies.
“This makes Nigerian airports the most expensive in the world discouraging airlines from flying into the country. This is not the kind of laurel Nigeria should be proud of. It is a disincentive to investment to both active and prospective investors. Government should address this situation.
Government should also heed the industry’s calls for the harmonisation of the regulatory environment, particularly at the ports in a way that aligns with global best practices. The nation’s Ease of Doing Business mantra should be in practice and not in theory only.”
Fadeni said as much as the company supports the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund especially as it relates to the aviation industry and its plan to upgrade infrastructure at the airports, such declaration should have overall industry impact.”
He said though the year 2023 was characterised with multiple cost related challenges, the increased cost of handling an aircraft cannot be easily passed on the airline by ground handling companies because any proposed hike in rates would require the approval of the industry regulator – Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
He said :” The very act of getting new rates approved has its challenges as well. It is therefore not uncommon to see ticket prices rising geometrically while ground handling rates charged by service providers to airlines remain solidly stagnant.”
He spoke of plans by NAHCO to re – invest in it’s facilities to enable it retain its position in the ground handling and warehousing business.
Fadeni said :” Our push towards birthing a global integrated logistic giant is taking good shape with the coming into operations of new subsidiaries.”
Also speaking, its Group Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Indranil Gupta said the company intends to diversify investment into other sector’s of the economy to grow.
He said NAHCO will continue to invest in operational equipment to drive sustainable growth.
Gupta said: ” We will continue to leverage our strength and market insights to pursue organic and strategic growth initiatives to expand our market presence and revenue streams
“We plan to comprehensively refresh our fleet of ground support equipment to replace aging equipment and increase the numbers in our fleet to meet the ever increasing customer needs and expectations.
“We are already embracing digitalization and innovation, investing in cutting edge technologies and solutions to enhance our service offerings, operational efficiency and competitiveness. By harnessing the power of data analytics, automation and predictive maintenance , we aim to stay ahead of the industry trends and deliver superior value to our clients “
