The Association of Ground Handlers of Nigeria (AGHAN) has called for a waiver on the annual five per cent concession fee for the companies in the aviation industry.
Daily Trust reports that the ground handling companies remit the five per cent of their turnover to the coffers of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
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They called for a waiver of the charge for 2020 in view of the pandemic, which hit the industry and other sectors of the economy.
Chairman of AGHAN, Mr. Adigun Olaniyi, during a briefing also urged the federal government to modify the mode of collection of the fee, saying it is calculated based on turnaround, rather than on profit.
He said, “Our prayer is that this five per cent concession fee should be waived for the 2020 financial year. 2020 was tough and there was no work available and the little we had last year was to sustain our staff.
“Though, the palliative is good, but how far can that go in the life of the Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) Plc or the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) Plc for instance? Whatever we got individually, is not even enough as a monthly wage for the two companies. So, we are asking for the waiver for that 2020.”
The ground handling firms got over N200 million from the N1 billion palliatives given to aviation service providers.
But Adigun decried the handling charges by ground handlers and called for an upward review of the charges, describing it as “a peanut.”
