The Managing Director of Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) Plc, Mr. Basil Agboarumi, has appealed to the Federal Government to grant duty waiver on operational equipment for ground handling companies in the nation’s airports.
Agboarumi made this plea when he hosted the leadership of the Capital Market Correspondents Association of Nigeria (CAMCAN) during a courtesy visit to his office in Lagos.
Specifically, he pointed out that the waiver would go a long way in ameliorating the harsh economic conditions companies in the aviation industry were currently facing based on the high duty being paid on their equipment.
He said: “We felt that no matter what the government is doing for the airlines, ground handling should be included to benefit from it too.
“We believe that what should be done is that the same kind of waivers that the airlines are enjoying should also be extended to us to make life easier for us.
“The authorities should encourage us the same way they are doing for airline operators, we are in the same industry and without us, the airlines cannot go into the sky.
“Government gives waiver to the airlines on spare parts and other things. We want them to give the same thing to us for our equipment. With waivers on clearing spare parts, it will do a lot for us.
“We have generators that supply our electricity and we have cold room for pharmaceutical products. We have to be on power for 24 hours”, Agboarumi added.
While lamenting that the company provides its own infrastructure to stay in business, the SAHCO boss
Pointed out that listing on the Nigerian stock market had helped the company to do its business in line with international best practices.
He elaborated: “Our company’s priority is to continue to be disciplined in terms of the way we do our businesses, continue to strive to ensure that we meet the expectations of our shareholders and also ensure a good business relationship with our customers.
“Our expectation is to ensure continuous growth in the bottom line of the business, we will ensure to work in line with best practices in the aviation industry. Get the kind of investment that will ensure we continue to contribute our quota to the nation’s economy”, the SAHCO boss added.
SAHCO is a publicly quoted company on the Nigerian Exchange Limited and its business model is aimed at delivering premium service and this has necessitated massive investment in personnel development, fleet replacement and infrastructure development.
