The Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc (NAHCO) has been appointed by Air France-KLM as its ticketing General Sales Agent (GSA) in Nigeria, expanding the aviation services company’s role in the commercial representation of the European airline group.
Under the five-year agreement, NAHCO, through its subsidiary NAHCO Travel and Hospitality Limited, will sell Air France-KLM tickets to travellers and travel management companies across Nigeria.
The appointment represents a new commercial arrangement between the two companies and goes beyond the services previously provided by NAHCO to the airline group.
Under their previous arrangement, NAHCO managed Air France-KLM’s Airport Ticket Offices (ATO) at the terminal as part of the Standard Ground Handling Agreement (SGHA) between both parties.
The new GSA agreement is separate from the ground handling arrangement and gives NAHCO a wider commercial mandate covering City Ticketing Office sales and retail ticket distribution throughout Nigeria.
The development marks an expansion of NAHCO’s activities beyond its traditional aviation handling business.
NAHCO has built its aviation business around services, including ramp handling, cargo processing, passenger handling and baggage services. The Air France-KLM agreement adds a direct ticketing and sales function to that portfolio.
Through NAHCO Travel and Hospitality, the company will now be responsible for selling tickets on behalf of the carrier across the Nigerian market.
The move fits into NAHCO Group’s strategy of expanding into higher-value aviation services and strengthening its position within the wider airline commercial services market. It also gives the company a larger role in the relationship between Air France-KLM and the Nigerian travel trade.
Speaking on the appointment, NAHCO’s Group Executive Director, Commercial and Business Development, Prince Saheed Lasisi, described the agreement as a milestone in the longstanding relationship between both organisations.
He said the move from airport terminal ticketing under the traditional SGHA to full commercial ticketing authority across Nigeria demonstrated the confidence Air France-KLM had placed in NAHCO’s corporate capabilities and market reach.
Lasisi said, ‘Moving from airport terminal ticketing under the traditional SGHA to assuming full commercial ticketing authority across Nigeria demonstrates the immense trust Air France-KLM places in our corporate capabilities and market reach.’
The five-year duration of the agreement gives NAHCO a long-term mandate to handle Air France-KLM ticket sales and distribution in Nigeria.
The appointment is also significant for NAHCO Travel and Hospitality, which now takes on a more prominent role in airline sales and distribution.
General Sales Agents typically serve as an airline’s commercial representatives in markets where they are appointed, handling activities such as ticket sales, trade relationships and distribution.
For NAHCO, the new mandate creates an opportunity to use its established presence in the Nigerian aviation and travel market to support Air France-KLM’s commercial activities.
Nigeria is one of the largest aviation and travel markets in West Africa, making effective local sales and distribution an important part of an international airline’s commercial strategy.
The agreement is expected to strengthen Air France-KLM’s commercial presence and distribution network in Nigeria.
The airline group will leverage NAHCO’s local market knowledge, corporate infrastructure and relationships with travel management companies and other industry stakeholders.
For Nigerian travellers and travel agencies, the arrangement places NAHCO Travel and Hospitality in a more direct position within the sales and distribution chain for Air France-KLM tickets.
The partnership also gives NAHCO an opportunity to deepen its relationship with the travel trade beyond its traditional airport-based operations.
The company said the agreement would support Air France-KLM’s commercial agility in West Africa’s largest market while helping the airline group improve its reach among Nigerian travellers and travel management companies.
The Air France-KLM appointment comes as NAHCO continues to broaden its business beyond conventional ground handling. For Air France-KLM, the arrangement provides a local commercial partner with established knowledge of the Nigerian aviation and travel market.