Sharjah’s $327m airport terminal expansion takes off
Work has started on the Dh1.2 billion ($326.75 million) terminal expansion project at Sharjah International Airport as the emirate seeks to boost its aviation infrastructure.
Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, laid the foundation stone for the project, state news agency Wam reported.
Spread across 190,000 square metres, the project is the largest phase of expansion work being undertaken at a cost of Dh2.4 billion, and is expected to be completed in 2027.
The terminal’s extension will increase the airport’s capacity to 20 million passengers annually, Wam reported. It will also separate the arrivals area from departures and enhance the airport’s systems and amenities, authorities said.
Improvements will also include additional self-check-in kiosks and electronic boarding gates, as well as bigger waiting areas, dining centres and a transit passenger hotel.
Sharjah airport handled more than seven million passengers in the first half of last year, up 24.4 per cent on an annual basis, amid growth in airline customer numbers and a surge in travel demand.
Aircraft movements at the airport also increased, with the number of flights exceeding 46,900, a rise of 14 per cent over the same period in 2022, the Sharjah Airport Authority said in July.
Sharjah airport is the home of budget Air Arabia, which posted a record third-quarter profit in November, reflecting strong travel demand as passenger traffic rose. Net profit for the period jumped to Dh522 million, up 26 per cent annually as the number of passengers carried during the period rose 21 per cent to 4.7 million.
In July, the Sharjah Airport Authority announced the addition of six new passenger destinations and three air cargo routes. The new passenger destinations are Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Ufa and Samara in Russia, Lar in Iran, Indore in India and Thailand’s capital Bangkok.
The new air cargo destinations are Houston, the Rwandan capital Kigali and Nashik in India.