Aviation experts who have closely observed the evolution of Nigeria’s ground handling sub-sector over the years have come to the conclusion that more appropriate and cost-reflective charges need to be implemented in order to ensure that the ground handling business remains sustainable going forward.
In line with this conclusion, these specialists posit that employing cost-reflective ground handling charges will not only benefit the ground handlers, but also major government agencies the likes of the Federal Airports Authority (FAAN) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), through the collection of taxes.
According to sources, Nigeria charges far below what other nations in the sub-region (e.g Cameroon, Senegal and other Francophone nations) charge for the ground handling of wide and narrow-bodied aircraft – a situation which if not carefully attended to might endanger the quality of service delivery by the ground handlers; lead to a drop in their revenue and a simultaneous decrease in the amount of taxes paid by these ground handlers to the Federal Government.
One expert, Mr. Kayode Oluwasegun-Ojo, former managing director of the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) commented on this dire situation as follows:
“If you are charging less than cost, it means you are subsidizing from somewhere and this will have an impact on the service you provide, on your equipment on the ground and others. It is known that most accidents/incidents in the aviation industry actually occur during take-off and landing. So, it is extremely important that we take care of what happens on the ground and in this case, via the ground handlers by charging a cost-reflective tariff.”
He went on to lament that “something is wrong with the system if Ghana is charging about $1,500 to handle narrow body aircraft and Nigeria is charging as little as $400.”
Other specialists like Mr. Tayo Ojuri (aviation analyst); Alhaji Oluropo Owolabi (former Managing Director of the Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO)) agree that decisive steps need to be taken in order to reverse the current state of affairs.
Engr. Sam Oluwole, Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Association of Ground Handlers of Nigeria (AGHAN), opines that the low charges in the country are vastly disproportionate to the high quality of service that ground handlers offer, remembering a time in 1986 when ground handlers “were charging about $1,139 to handle a narrow body aircraft” – a situation which has worsened today with “some handlers charging as low as $300 despite the crash of the naira.”
On his part, Mr. Olumide Ohunayo, Head of Research, Zenith Travel, advises the ground handlers to stand together and continue to maintain high safety and security standards, as doing so will draw the attention of the regulatory bodies concerned and compel them to do the needful to normalize the situation.
