The Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc (NAHCO) has unveiled plans to increase its ground support equipment (GSE) before the end of 2026, as entrenched in its long-term planning for the organisation.

A statement on Wednesday by the Assistant General Manager, NAHCO, Tayo Ajakaye, said that the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company, Dr Seinde Fadeni, disclosed the plan on Tuesday during the delivery of yet another GSE, geared at enhancing its operations nationwide.

NAHCO took delivery of nine brand new high loaders and immediately deployed them to various stations across the country.

The company, in 2024, took delivery of the first set of new GSE in its re-fleeting programme and promised to continue the exercise through 2026.

At the event on Tuesday, Fadeni reiterated the ambition of the board to ensure that the company boasts of more than adequate equipment by the end of 2026.

According to him, the process of acquiring the new equipment started last year. But he said the company had to endure delivery delays while the manufacturer finished producing and shipping to Nigeria.

He emphasised that the essence of this equipment was not just for the company or its customers, but also to make life easier for its workers.

“I can confirm to you that we have a lot in our cap, and we’re bringing them out one by one,” he added.

Also, the Chief Operating Officer (COO), Didier Stuellet, commended the company’s board for investing in multi-million-dollar equipment.

He described the decision to acquire state-of-the-art equipment as the best for the handling company.

He posited that the acquisition also indicated the plan of the NAHCO board to complete the ongoing re-fleeting of its equipment in the long term.

“We are more than halfway into that process. We still have some equipment coming in the coming months and years,” he added.

Besides, the Head of GSE, Charles Karinga, noted that the acquisition of the brand-new high loaders by NAHCO was a huge one in the history of Nigerian aviation, stressing that not many ground handling service providers in the region could acquire adequate equipment at the same time.

He described a high loader as a GSE, equipped with a high-reach lift mechanism to load or unload items, cargo, food, drinks, and cleared for air transportation.

“Buying this number of high loaders at this same time is not something that is normally done by many handlers in this clime because they are very expensive. This is the first time this has happened,” he said.