SAHCO upgrades equipment as firm renews contract with Arik Air

From Suleiman Idris, Lagos

Leading ground handling firm, the Skyway Aviation Handling Company PLC, (SAHCO) said it newly aquired state of the art equipment will arrive Nigeria in few weeks time.
The company disclosed this at a ground handling contract renewalship with Arik Air for another three years.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Sahco, Mr. Basil Agboarumi said with the new machines, the company will further deliver quality and improved ground handling services to all its clientele across the nation’s airport.
He explained that upon acquisition by Sifax Group of Companies nine years ago, it board had strived to improve the quality of services to its clients, stressing it would continue to grow its services especially as the company is enlisted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).
Speaking of the contract with Arik Air, he said : ‘Today is unique for SAHCO. The Initial Public Offering (IPO) for SAHCO… Arik Air has been with SAHCO for several years and we have witnessed the growth of the company over the years.
“We are happy that the new management has established the airline on the right path. Arik Air is a good company to do business with. We are very proud to associate with the airline. Wherever Arik Air is mentioned, we will stand up for you. We have new equipment coming in. Some of them are on the high seas, while others are with us here already in the country.
“You will understand that we are the only ground handling company that operates in all commercially operated airports in Nigeria. So, when it comes to warehouses and we are sure that it will be utilised to the fullest capacity, we will be there”, he said.
Mr. Murat Ozcan, Vice President, Ground Operations, Arik Air expressed excitement with the renewed agreement with the ground handling firm.
He explained that the equipment of SAHCO had improved over the years and urged the management to constantly invest in state-of-the-art equipment.
“We have a very long standing relationship with SAHCO and they have always been there for Arik Airlines. For the past five years, we have had a very great experience with them and I am happy to say that we have signed for another three years for SAHCO to provide ground handling assistance for our networks.
“It is a very happy day for us and we will be looking forward to work with them for the next three years as well as many more years to come.”