In a bid reduce stockpiling of cargo at the tarmac and bulk breaking areas at the airports, the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company plc (nahco aviance), said it has begun 24 hours cargo operations at the cargo complex of Murtala Muhammed International airport, Lagos.
This is sequel to the agreement reached between the organisation and Nigerian Customs Service to extend its hours of operation at the Cargo Airport Complex.
The 24-hour operation will lead to proper maximisation of cargo potentials thus expediting on-time delivery to customers, smoother flow of operations and enhancing daytime capability.
In essence, this is geared towards the overall growth and development of air cargo industry in the country.
At the presentation of furnished porta-kabin and other items that will facilitate the scheme, Tajudeen Olanrewaju, Customs area comptroller, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, praised NAHCO for raising the bar in cargo service delivery in the country.
Olanrewaju, who was accompanied by top officers of the body at the airport, advised his men to put the facilities to optimum use.
Meanwhile, Kayode Oluwasegun-Ojo, managing director of nahco aviance, who led other management staff of the company to the formal handing over of the facilities to Customs, hailed the approval to NAHCO to start the new 24 – hour service, describing it as another pioneering effort by the company.
In a related development, nahco aviance management has stated that it has not stopped the clearing of goods in its warehouse.
The company said the clarification became necessary due to insinuations going round that it had stopped clearance of goods in its warehouse as a result of a disagreement between major airlines and customs – licenced clearing agents.
While urging a speedy resolution of the issues between the parties, nahco aviance declared that it remains open for business in both its export and import warehouses.
In 2012, the company commissioned a new warehouse with modern facilities such as cold room, freezer, strong room, vault and dangerous goods area.
The commissioning of the warehouse further increased its interior space capacity by about 21,000 square metres and increased the processing capacity to 230,000 and 60,000 tonnes of import and export cargo respectively per annual.
With this development, the company now operates 24 hours in all its areas of operations as other areas such as ramp and passenger services as well as maintenance department already do so.
NAHCO is a Nigerian diversified enterprise with interests in aviation cargo, aircraft handling, passenger facilitation, crew transportation and aviation training.
The company currently serves more than 35 airlines at seven airports across Nigeria, with plans to expand operations to other African countries. It handles about 70 percent of domestic and foreign airlines operating in Nigeria.
Since its privatisation, the company has embarked on business diversification programme that cuts across industries and geography, as a result of which it has developed strategic global alliances through its membership of aviance, the global alliance of 10 reputable airport service providers operating from 112 stations in 17 countries, and the International Air Cargo Association (TIACA), which exists to promote the air cargo industry and world trade.
Sade Williams
