We handle 80% cargo domestic market, 90% international market- nahco aviance

The management of Nigerian Aviation Handling Company has said that it handles 80% of the cargo domestic market and 90% of the cargo international market in Nigeria.

Speaking during a press conference last week, Norbert Bielderman, managing director and chief executive officer, nahco aviance said that the company now controls 80% of the domestic market, a bigger share than ever before, adding that the only local airlines that NAHCO does not handle are Arik and Medview airlines.

Bielderman also disclosed that the NAHCO  handles 90% of international market and is still experiencing growth in its market share, adding that the only viable international airlines NAHCO do not handle are South African Airways (SAA) and Etihad.

“This year alone, we have won Meridiana Fly (Italian Airline), Mid-African Airlines, RwandAir, on Abuja – Kigali route; Mainstream Aviation, Cronos – Lagos, amongst others.     Also, all our airline standard ground handling (main) contracts are perfect and in full force,” the MD added.

He noted that the company did not lose its Ethiopian Airlines (ET) cargo handling to competition reiterating that the genesis of what is called ’loss’ in this instance should be well understood.

“ET has a global GSSA agreement with DHL. What this means is that all cargoes on ET are being handled by DHL on behalf ET Cargoes. Before now however, due to very low business volume, a competitor rented out a considerable portion of its under-utilised warehouse to DHL Cargo to warehouse its (DHL) shipments.

“DHL has at least 60percent on these cargoes and therefore upon the arrival of ET aircraft, the Company moves the shipments into the rented section of SAHCOL warehouse.

“This is what is wrongly viewed as a loss by NAHCO to that competitor. It is not. The agreement between DHL and the particular competitor, like we said earlier, is a global one. It is not limited to Nigeria,” Bielderman said.

He assured that salaries, allowances and performance-based pay are paid regularly as at when due.

The managing director acknowledged that the current recession is telling on companies as airlines are pulling out of Nigeria and a lot more airlines are reducing the number of their flights into the country.

He noted that despite the challenges, the company has remained very strong and the management of NAHCO has no doubt that if there should there be a consolidation exercise in the sector today, it would be one of the very few companies that would scale through.

To further reinforce NAHCO’s dominance in the sector Seyi Adewale, Chief Commercial Officer of nahco aviance, said the company is recognised as the only International Air Transport Association (IATA) – Authorized Cargo Certification Centre in Nigeria.

IATA Training Fund (IATF) and IATA partnered with NAHCO to certify 100 Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) members and other independent cargo agents in preparation of IATA’s Cargo Account Settlement Systems (CASS) in Nigeria.

This, Adewale said is to be implemented as a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative that empowers its cargo operators to be professional, to trade globally and have a unique identification code issued by NAHCO/ IATA.

The programme has commenced with the first batch of professionals from Blue Chip exporting companies’ representatives currently in attendance.

Ifeoma Okeke