GROUP Managing Director of Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO), Mrs. Olatokunbo Fagbemi has explained that palliatives are vital to airlines’ survival post COVID-19 but asked all intending to receive such palliatives to be aware of the conditions attached.
Fagbemi who spoke yesterday at the League of Airports and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) webinar titled: Nigeria’s Aviation Industry: Changing Times, Changing Strategies said knowing conditions will help airlines and others plan better.
She said,”Palliatives are a way to help airlines recover and get off speedily, it is a good thing. However, it is important that airlines know under what conditions these palliatives are granted to them.
According to her, the ground handling business is dependent on the airlines stressing that whatever happens to them will tell on the ground handlers.
Mrs. Fagbemi, also said resilience and collaboration is what the handling companies and other stakeholders need to survive, stating that the airlines need to carry the handling companies along in terms of schedules in order to achieve a common goal.
“A lot of what we do is driven by the health sector, in the end we might have some job losses but resilience is the language, a lot of us want the sector to rebound, we believe that at the end of the day the worst hit sector will rebound “, she said.
The NAHCO GMD, also pointed out that companies like theirs are making investments ahead of reopening of the airport but queried how they would recover invested funds.
“We are making investments in the handling sector and we do not know how we will make returns on these investments.”
According to her, if they have to import cleaning equipment, chemicals for their customers at the airports; how will those buying new equipment to check in passengers recover monies invested in this, except through passengers.
