Aviation ground handling companies in Nigeria have urged the Federal Government to extend tax waivers, incentives and access to single-digit, long-term financing.
They warned that without such support, sustained investment across the aviation value chain could be at risk.
Speaking with aviation correspondents in Lagos, the Managing Director of Skyway Aviation Handling Company, SAHCO, Mrs. Nike Aboderin, said ground handlers face heavy capital demands for modern equipment and technology, while contending with the same foreign exchange pressures as airlines but largely excluded from sector-wide relief measures.
She explained that handlers spend millions of euros annually on equipment, yet recover costs in naira from domestic airlines, making profitability and reinvestment increasingly difficult.
According to her, affordable financing and tax relief have become critical to sustaining operations in a high-inflation, volatile forex environment.
Mrs. Aboderin therefore called on government to formally designate aviation ground handling as a pioneer industry.
She proposed extended tax holidays, customs duty waivers on equipment and spare parts, and access to low-interest, long-tenor loans to enable operators expand capacity and improve service quality.
Beyond aviation services, the SAHCO boss stressed challenges in non-oil exports, noting that poor packaging standards continue to cause rejection of Nigerian goods in international markets.
She said inadequate knowledge and support for exporters remain major bottlenecks to growth.
To address this, Mrs. Aboderin disclosed that SAHCO is establishing a dedicated packaging unit under its expanding e-commerce business to help exporters meet global standards, while also advocating structured government support through training, financing and market education to boost export earnings.
Meanwhile, SAHCO reported strong financial and operational performance for the period ended September 30, 2024, with revenue rising by 57 percent and profit before tax surging by 82 percent.
Achievements Mrs. Aboderin attributed to operational efficiency, technology-driven cost controls and sustained investment despite economic headwinds such as inflation, forex volatility and rising equipment costs.
Reporting by Nosa Aituamen