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.
