SAHCO Charts Bold 2026 Growth Path, Reinforces Focus on Safety, Ethics and Innovation
Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) Plc has reaffirmed its commitment to operational excellence, ethics in action, innovation and sustainable growth as it reflects on its achievements in 2025 and unveils its strategic priorities for 2026 and beyond.
In a New Year message issued on behalf of the Chairman, Board of Directors and Executive Management, the company expressed gratitude to its customers for their continued patronage and trust throughout 2025, describing customer partnership as central to SAHCO’s existence and long-term success.
Management pledged to continue listening attentively to customers, delivering high-quality services and consistently exceeding expectations in the years ahead.
SAHCO also acknowledged the support of its stakeholders and partner government agencies, noting that sustained collaboration with these bodies played a vital role in enhancing service delivery and achieving shared objectives within the aviation ecosystem.
Reflecting on internal performance, the company commended the dedication, professionalism and teamwork of its workforce across the country, attributing several key operational milestones in 2025 to their commitment.
Among these achievements was the successful renewal of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) certification, reinforcing SAHCO’s adherence to global safety standards.
The company further confirmed that its Regulated Agent (RA3) certification remains valid until 2027, while its Institute of Safety Professionals of Nigeria (ISPON) and Quality Management System (QMS) certifications were successfully renewed in 2025.
In addition, SAHCO disclosed that its Training School Authorisation was renewed, with plans already underway to expand the school and enhance its curriculum offerings in 2026 in line with global best practices.
In terms of business growth, SAHCO revealed that it onboarded several new airline customers in 2025. These included Ethiopian Airlines, Air Tanzania and Air Algérie, as well as ValueJet Airlines and United Nigeria Airlines on their regional routes in addition to existing domestic operations.
Other new additions were Pioneer Airlines, Binani Airlines, ExeJet/Enugu Air, and Air Peace on its Antigua and Barbados operations, further strengthening the company’s presence across domestic, regional and international markets.
SAHCO’s strong operational performance during the year also attracted multiple industry recognitions. These included the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Safety Excellence Award, the Aircraft Handling Service Achievement Award from the Nigeria Aviation Group (NIGAV), and the Aviation Service Provider of the Year Award from the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology.
The company also emerged as Best Ground Support Service Company of the Year at the Nigeria International Air Show and received the Ground Support Equipment (GSE) Certification of Recognition from IATA.
International recognition was also recorded, with British Airways awarding SAHCO’s Abuja Station a Bronze Award and its Lagos Station a Gold Award for punctuality and safety performance across the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific regions.
In line with its sustainability agenda, SAHCO disclosed that it commenced the phased replacement of ageing equipment with eco-friendly alternatives in 2025, an initiative that will continue into 2026.
The company emphasised its commitment to maintaining full environmental and sustainability compliance across all its facilities.
Looking ahead, SAHCO outlined that its 2026 strategy will focus on operational excellence, revenue growth and business expansion.
Key initiatives include expanding cargo handling offerings, strengthening partnerships with state-owned airports, pursuing additional certifications, deepening engagement with local, regional and international airline partners, and enhancing customer engagement strategies. The company also plans to diversify into new business lines across the aviation value chain.
According to management, these priorities are anchored on SAHCO’s “4Ps Strategy” for 2026 – People, Process, Performance and Platform.
The strategy is designed to build a highly skilled and safety-driven workforce, standardise and strictly enforce operating procedures, leverage data-driven analytics to improve performance and revenue, and develop an integrated digital and operational platform that connects people, processes, equipment and data seamlessly.
Reaffirming its outlook for the year, SAHCO stated that as it steps into 2026, it remains focused on reimagining excellence with ethics at the core, innovation in action and adaptability as the foundation for sustainable success.
