The Nigerian Aviation Company plc (nahco aviance) has announced further certification of its operations with the recent ISAGO certificate issued by IATA for its operations in Kano.
The new IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) Registration certification for Kano expires on 21 August, 2020.
The certification of Kano operations brings to three, the total number of stations certified by ISAGO. The others are Lagos and Abuja. NAHCO is the only ground handler in Nigeria with ISAGO certifications in three stations.
Late last year, the Company announced the RA 3 revalidation of its operations in the country’s major airports by the European Union. The Third Country EU Regulated Agent (RA3) validation was issued to a number of NAHCO’s airport operations. The stations include Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano.
The ISAGO Audit and ISAGO Registration means that nahco aviance has demonstrated conformity with the applicable ISAGO standards and recommended practices as specified in the ISAGO Ground Operations Manual Edition 7 certifying its area of operations.
Areas covered by the recertification include Organisation and Management (ORM), Load Control (LOD), Passenger and Baggage Handling (PAB), Aircraft Handling and Loading (HDL), Aircraft Ground Movement (AGM) and Cargo and Mail Handling (CGM).
It would be recalled that in 2010, nahco aviance was awarded the ISAGO certification, the IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations in Lagos, becoming the first ground handling company in West Africa to receive the certification for safety and service quality.
The listed benefits of ISAGO registration for ground handling and airport businesses include safer ground operations, fewer accidents and injuries, elimination of redundant audits from airlines, reduced costs: less damage and less audits, uniform audit process and harmonised standards. Other benefits are improved safety oversight, harmonized auditor training and qualifications, improved quality standards and enhanced understanding of high-/risk areas within ground operations
The Third country EU regulated agent (RA3) is a designation given to a cargo handling entity located in a third county that has been validated and approved as such on the basis of an EU security validation. The organisation ensures that security controls, including screening, where applicable is applied to the consignment bound for the union and that the consignment has been protected from unauthorized interference from the time that those security controls were applied until the consignment are loaded onto an aircraft or are otherwise handed over to an ACC3 – certified carrier or other RA3 operator.
The advantage of having RA3 validation is that consignments once screened, protected before loading into an ACC3 validated carrier are exempted from further screening and can enter any member state.
Commenting on the new certification, the Group Managing Director/CEO, nahco aviance, Mrs. Olatokunbo Fagbemi said she was delighted with the latest addition to ISAGO – certified NAHCO stations.
According to her, “This shows the thoroughness of our operations, processes and procedures. We play by the rules and our airline clients and other industry stakeholders appreciate the effort we put into ensuring that the right thing is done at all times.”
She said as the leader in its segment of the industry, NAHCO will not shy away from being in the forefront of growing the industry.
