Foremost ground handling company, Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (nahco aviance), has said that it has started deploying new equipment in major airports across the country.
The Company in a statement, noted that the equipment started arriving the country in August, adding that they are currently being deployed to all airports where nahco operates.
Ahmed Bashir Gulma, Head, Corporate Services, disclosed that the sum of N1.5 billion was invested in the new equipment.
According to him, “We are deploying these new equipment in the airports to satisfy our domestic and international clients. The equipment are the types you will find in the best of modern airports in the world”, he said.
Gulma further disclosed that the first batch of the 131 units of Ground Support Equipment, (GSE) arrived the country last month and had been deployed even as the Federal Government was still putting finishing touches to the airports it was re-modelling across the country.
Among the GSE are aircraft passenger steps, self-propelled pallet transporter, belt loaders, wide aircraft cargo loaders, aircraft tow loaders and towable toilet service units.
Others include towable fuel bowsers, pallet dollies, container dollies, baggage trailers, belt loadersand ACUs.
Industry watchers say retooling was a cardinal principle of management of the Company.
Nahco aviance constantly re-equips for added efficiency. The Company has a culture of deploying state-of-the-art equipment as part of its re-investment strategies.
Only recently, Norbert Bielderman the company’s managing director, disclosed at the first Nigeria Air Cargo Summit in March this year that nahco recently invested more than N700 million in equipment purchase.
This purchase, as disclosed, by Bielderman was preceded by another huge investment in equipment in the two years preceding 2014.
Suleiman Yahyah, Chairman, NAHCO, stated on the sideline of the inauguration of the NAHCo’s Learning and Development Centre in Lagos in March 2013 that, “In the last 24 months, we have invested over N11.3bn ($70m) in equipment and are putting things in place to ensure that the flow of cargo is efficient.”
He said at the time that the company was set to ensure that it maintained its position as a top African cargo company, adding that arrangements had been put in place to grow the business further.
Meanwhile, the Company’s International Air Transport Association Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) certification has been renewed till 2016.
