…Appeals To FG For Waivers, Single Digit Interest On Loans
…Says Ground Handlers Have Device Means Of Addressing Debtor Airlines Issue
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO)PLC, Mrs. Adenike Aboderin has disclosed that the company spent about Euros 10 million to acquire equipment to make the company’s operation effective and efficient for the benefit of its customers.
This is just as she appealed to the Federal Government to grant ground handling companies in the waivers just like the domestic carriers in the country.
She disclosed this while speaking during the Gateway Forum organised by the League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LÀAC) at SAHCO’s, headquarters physically and virtually at the Murtala Muhammed Airport(MMA),Lagos at the weekend.
According to her, “We spent like 10 million euros, that’s just in the last three months . All these equipments are very very expensive. In the last two quarters, we spent like Euros 5 million on equipments alone. Each equipment, the minimum is like Euros150,000.
In view of the expensive nature of the equipments and couple with the fact that they are all imported, she appealed to the Federal Government to support the ground handling companies in the country with waivers on spare parts just the way it supported the domestic airlines.
” I am going to now implore you to please let the government know we need their support in form of tax waivers incentives, they granted the airlines when the airlines shouted I noticed that two weeks ago they included them, but they did not put the handlers on it . We need it waivers, single digits loans, long term loans. How much are the domestic carriers paying us for a 300,000 euro sometimes we have like four of them on one aircraft, how much are they paying us in Naira, for us to be able to make that money back.
“So, the Federal Government needs to help aviation, see us as a pioneer industry . I think like a 10 year pioneer industry, tax waivers incentives on both equipments and spare parts, and then single digit long term interest loans.” Aboderin appealed.
On competition, Aboderin, said that SAHCO is fully ready for competition as it has the capacity and the wherewithal to withstand any competition no matter how competitive it is.
” I think we’re fully prepared. On the area of competition,” she said emphatically.
On whether SAHCO still accommodate airlines who abandon ground handler A because they owe it and move to ground handling company B to provide ground handling services to them, the Managing Director said that the debtor carriers are not only problematic to ground handlers but that the issue is a serious one.
“Debtor carriers, they are ‘ a problem. It. is a big issue, especially with the local airlines,” she confirmed.
She informed that what SAHCo PLC has done to the debtor domestic airlines is to make them sign a bond to pay up whatever debt they owe its competitors before coming to SAHCO.
She added that if SAHCO discovers that the airline has not paid the debt owed its competitors, SAHCo will stop servicing such airline.
“I support what we are doing now, is that you cannot come to us. You have to sign an agreement to say that you paid off your debt with our competitor. If we find out that you have not paid, we stop servicing you until you go back and pay off.
“Because what is due to services rendered will be paid. Because it can also happen to us on the other side. So there’s an agreement with the two handlers, between both of us, that you’re not supposed to take a new client who has not paid off their debt.
“And that is what we hope that we’ll continue to do even up to 2026. But that’s what we did throughout this year. If we get a letter from any of our colleagues saying that this airline owes, we stop the service and we write to them,” she said.
Speaking further, the SAHCO boss said, “We have done it twice this year. Go and clear yourself before you come to us. I think it’s just the best code of ethics we can do.”
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