Where satellite used to be seen as a back-up option, it’s increasingly being regarded as part of our global connectivity backbone, especially as people expect to stay connected wherever they are, even if that’s 38,000 feet in the air.

It’s also a very literal representation of something we’ve known for some time: that connectivity can no longer be bound by geography.

We recently carried out a representative survey in Germany which showed that 70% of people would use satellite Internet if it were stable and widely available, which mirrors exactly what we’re now seeing in the market.

The technology is ready, and so is public demand, but latency remains a key obstacle.

That might not matter for somebody browsing their emails on board an intercontinental flight, but it’s the biggest barrier to satellite connectivity achieving widespread adoption for all use cases.

This move by British Airways and other airlines that have deployed onboard satellite Wi-Fi will do much for the reputation of satellite connectivity.

But for it to become core to our global connectivity infrastructure, the next step should be building the right interconnection pathways – both on Earth and above it.

These pathways will give the satellite technology the low-latency connections it needs to sustain things like real-time AI inference.

Through our Space-IX initiative and the European Space Agency’s OFELIAS project, we’re working on ways to optimize the direct exchange of data between low-Earth-orbit satellites and terrestrial networks – and even between different space-based networks.

The aim is to make these space-based ecosystems as responsive and reliable as those on the ground, so that no matter where users are, on Earth or in the sky, they won’t have to compromise on connectivity.

[Featured Image Credit]

The British Airways Punctuality Award was introduced as part of the airline’s efforts to recognize and celebrate its partners who consistently deliver excellent job performance.

SAHCO PLC stood out among its peers for its outstanding punctuality and dedication to ensuring smooth operations for British Airways.

According to Hellen O’Connor, British Airways Regional General Manager for the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific, expressed her congratulations to SAHCO at Lagos for achieving their punctuality targets for the first quarter of 2024.

She highlighted the importance of safety and punctuality in the aviation industry and commended SAHCO for meeting the Adjusted Closure (aDC) target of 96% each month during the quarter.

In response to the award, Mrs. Adenike Aboderin, the managing director/CEO of SAHCO PLC, expressed her elation and gratitude to British Airways for recognizing SAHCO’s commitment to excellence. She emphasized that SAHCO is dedicated to providing top-notch Ground Handling Services to its numerous partners, utilizing state-of-the-art Ground Handling Equipment fitted with the latest environmentally friendly technology.

Furthermore, she reaffirmed SAHCO’s commitment to continue delivering the best Ground Handling services to all SAHCO’S clients and went on to extend her gratitude to British Airways Nigerian team led by Mrs. Toun Odejinmi and the SAHCO team for their professionalism, hard work and dedication.

The British Airways Punctuality Award is a testament to SAHCO PLC’s commitment to professionalism, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.

This recognition reinforces SAHCO’s position as a leading Ground Handling service provider in the aviation industry.

Skyway Aviation Handling Company, SAHCO PLC, is a leading Ground Handling service provider in Nigeria.

With a team of highly skilled professionals and state-of-the-art equipment, SAHCO offers a comprehensive range of Ground Handling services, including passenger handling, ramp handling, cargo handling, aviation security amongst other Ground handling services to clients across all the commercially operated airports in Nigeria.

SAHCO Plc is a publicly quoted company on the Nigerian Stock Exchange that was incorporated as an Aviation Ground Handling services provider under the Nigerian Company & Allied Matters Act of 1990.

SAHCO started providing Ground Handling Services to British Airways in 2020 when BA moved her ground handling contract to SAHCO after operating into Nigeria for over 40 years.

They saw the need to transfer their Ground Handling contract to SAHCO due to the unrivalled services that SAHCO Provides.

The decision to renew the contract for the next five years was taken by British Airways after the Airline did their due diligence through rigorous audits from their international team for all the Ground Handling companies in Nigeria and still found SAHCO to be the best.

According to the contract, SAHCO would be providing Passenger Handling Services, Baggage Handling services, Ramp Handling services, Cargo Handling services and Warehousing to British Airways at both the International Airports at Lagos and Abuja.

British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, headquartered at Waterside, Harmondsworth, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport.

Basil Agboarumi, Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, SAHCO, speaking about the contract renewal promised to continuously deliver quality and improved ground handling services through SAHCO’s well trained staff in all of SAHCO’S stations.

With the constant investment in modern Aviation Ground Support equipment fitted with the latest technology, SAHCO has ensured that all her clients’ expectations are not only met but also exceeded.

SAHCO, an International Standard Organization for Standardization (ISO 9001-2015) Certified company boasts of a professional team that is versed in the best of Departure Control systems in the Aviation industry for Passenger Check-in and Boarding, also for Load control systems.

The flight cancellations, according to this report were based on perceived fears that 5G deployment in some cities in the US would cause serious disruption to aviation signals around the airports.

Recall that earlier in the month, Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Transportation Secretary and Steve Dickson, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) asked AT&T and Verizon Communications to delay the planned introduction of new 5G wireless service over aviation safety concerns.

Dubai’s Emirates airline, for instance, announced on Tuesday that it would suspend flights to several destinations in the United States as of January 19, until further notice because of concerns over 5G mobile network deployment.

The move, according to a statement from the airline was, “due to operational concerns associated with the planned deployment of 5G mobile network services in the US.”

The destinations included Boston, Chicago, Dallas Fort Worth, Houston, Miami, Newark, Orlando, San Francisco, and Seattle.

Also, on Wednesday, British Airways cancelled a handful of flights from Heathrow to Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco.

“Safety is always our priority. We are monitoring the situation in the US closely and will continue to review our schedule in the next few hours,” the airline said in a statement.

It added, “We are disappointed that some of our customers are facing potential disruption and will update them as soon as possible on any changes to their travel plans.’’

The introduction of 5G technology has been halted in some parts of the US but is going ahead elsewhere.

Emirates further said its flights to New York’s JFK, Los Angeles International Airport and Washington DC’s Dulles International Airport would continue to operate as usual.

“We are working closely with aircraft manufacturers and the relevant authorities to alleviate operational concerns, and we hope to resume our US services as soon as possible,” the carrier said.