Work has started on the Dh1.2 billion ($326.75 million) terminal expansion 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 on Wednesday, state-owned news agency Wam reported.
Spread across 190,000 square metres, the project is the largest phase of expansion work being undertaken at a total 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 areas 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 facilities, and a transit passenger hotel.
Sharjah has been experiencing strong economic growth and is seeking to boost sectors such as tourism and hospitality.
The emirate’s 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 low-cost carrier Air Arabia, which posted a record third-quarter profit in November, reflecting strong travel demand as passenger traffic rose.
Net profit for the three months to the end of September 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, to meet the boom in travel demand and improve the hub's operational capacity, 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. While the new air cargo destinations are Houston, the Rwandan capital Kigali and Nashik in India.
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
The years Ramadan fell in May
