SAHCOL Boss Seeks Right Pricing for Ground Handling Services

SAHCOL Boss Seeks Right Pricing for Ground Handling Services

Chinedu Eze

For ground handling companies in Nigeria to charge the right price for the services rendered to airlines, they must work together.

This was stated by the Managing Director of Skyway Aviation Handling Company Plc (SAHCO), Basil Agboarumi recently while at the ‘A Night With Basil’, organised by the League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC).

Agboarumi, who is the first Public Relations Manager to be elevated as a substantive Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a major aviation company in Nigeria, lamented that ground handlers are not adequately paid for the services rendered to airlines.

He insisted that the ground handling companies cannot operate in isolation of the entire industry and called on the federal government to intervene in the charges paid by the airlines.
He also called on the government to grant the ground handling companies waivers on importation of equipment for operation, noting that if such regime could be granted the airlines, it was also pertinent for handlers to be given same privilege.

“This is the time, I think we need cooperation in the industry. The ground handlers need to come together because we can’t be isolated from what is happening in the sector. what happens to an aspect of the industry, affects all since the general duty of us in our various segments of the industry is to see how passengers or goods can move from one point to the other.

“I am one person that believes strongly that ground handling in Nigeria is under-priced and for us to continue to get the kind of ground handling that we require, especially now that things are getting harder for everyone in terms of procurement of equipment, industry must be ready to take the right step for the right of ground handling that we expected.

“We have been talking to government and government has been so good to the airlines, but I think it’s high time the government looked at the side of the ground handling companies. We need waivers on procurement of equipment, just as the government has granted the airlines. Government should also look at how it can reduce our burdens,” he said.

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