Dr. Seinde Oladapo Fadeni, NAHCO Chairman, asserts the government should ease financial strain on airlines and passengers by reevaluating taxes.
At NAHCO’s AGM in Lagos, he highlighted the excessive levies on foreign airlines, making Nigerian airports the world’s costliest with high financial strain.
“This is a disincentive discouraging both active and prospective investors. The government should address this and heed industry calls to harmonize regulations at ports, aligning with global best practices. The nation’s Ease of Doing Business mantra should be in practice and not in theory only.”
Moreover, Fadeni emphasized the urgent need for regulatory harmonization to attract investors and enhance the Ease of Doing Business.
He disclosed NAHCO’s ambitious N100 billion investment target over the next five years, aiming to diversify their portfolio and contribute to resolving the foreign exchange crisis.
Despite navigating numerous challenges, Fadeni urged the government to enhance airport infrastructure to accommodate future growth plans.
Due to regulatory constraints, he noted difficulty passing increased costs to airlines, leading to stagnant ground handling rates despite rising tickets.
NAHCO’s CEO, Mr. Indranil Gupta, outlined plans to diversify investments and enhance operations through fleet modernization and digitalization initiatives.
“We plan to refresh our ground support fleet to replace aging equipment and increase numbers to meet customer needs.”
He added, “We are embracing digitalization and innovation, investing in cutting-edge technologies to enhance service offerings, efficiency, and competitiveness.”
“By harnessing data analytics, automation, and predictive maintenance, we aim to stay ahead of industry trends and deliver superior value,” he said.
