Over 80 percent of foreign airlines come to us, says NAHCO

Mrs. Adenike Fagbemi, Managing Director, NAHCO

 We have advantages to export to all parts of the world

Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) says over 80 percent of foreign airlines flying to Nigeria are its customers and that most export cargoes traditionally still come to its terminals, adding that it has lots of advantages and all the certificates required to export to the European Union, United Nations and other parts of the world.

NAHCO said it is ready to help exporters and airlines move their goods and products abroad as part of its efforts to boost the Nigerian economy through exports.

It added that it is poised to provide an enabling environment for exporters’ businesses to grow optimally as a lot of the exporters have been having some difficulty with government agencies in terms of facilitating their services in a timely manner and which it has always intervened.

NAHCO Group Executive Director, Business Development and Commercial, Prince Saheed Lasisi made this known at a recent meeting with representatives from the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), airlines, exporters, and other stakeholders in Lagos recently.

Lasisi the company has a lot of advantage on agricultural exports as it had got a letter from the Quarantine Department at the Ministry of Agriculture mandating all agric exports to pass through it,

“We also got a letter from the Quarantine department at the Ministry of Agriculture that all agric exports are supposed to pass through NAHCO. So at NAHCO, we know that we have a whole lot of advantages.

“All we have to do is to make sure that our services are seamless in a timely manner. We also encourage the exporters through our airlines to ensure that they have the volume they require,” Lasisi said, promising that NAHCO would regularly communicate with exporters and other stakeholders in the industry.

Speaking at the meeting, representative of NEPC, Mrs. Francisca Odega advocated for the increase of exports so as to boost the economy. She said the government had earlier made moves to support export but that such moves were channeled through the agencies.

According to her, for export to growing optimally, three key areas must be addressed which include: freight charges reduction; Ease of Doing Business, which creates a conducive business environment; and cooperation among operators.

In his remarks, regional cargo manager, Turkish Airlines Sevket Battal advised Nigerian exporters to always plan ahead as it gives airlines room for proper cargo management. He commended NAHCO for always cooperating with Turkish Airlines and that the company is doing well in that area.

“We have a digital cargo session. We are with the NAHCO digital team. We have the special cargo section which we have changed to Cargo in care. NAHCO has a special cargo department and they are improving the cargo services in line with our demands. Recently, we brought a special design container with batteries and a central cooling system. We are improving together and we are guiding them. They are cooperating with us and that is why we are together for long.”


Also speaking at the meeting, Managing Director /Chief Executive Officer of FOB Global Logistics, Mr. Oluwajimi Jimi Adebanke identified Nigeria cargo market as a huge one and urged operators to always cooperate so that they can easily tap into the benefits inherent in the large market.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*