Sources:UAEAIP[1] Statistics from Sharjah International Airport[2]
Sharjah International Airport (Arabic:مطار الشارقة,romanized: Maṭār aš-Šāriqa) (IATA:SHJ,ICAO:OMSJ) is aninternational airport located 7nautical miles (13 km; 8.1 mi)[1] east-southeast ofSharjah, United Arab Emirates. It is spread over an area of 15,200,000 m2 (3,800 acres).[3] It is the 3rd busiest airport inthe country as well asthe 10th busiest airport in the Middle East. It has one runway, and is the only airport in Sharjah capable of international flights as of 2022. By 2027, it is expected to increase its capacity to 25 million passengers annually.[4]
Sharjah International Airport is the third largest Middle East air freight hub in cargo tonnage, according to official 2015 statistics from Airports Council International. Ground services company, Sharjah Aviation Services, handled 586,195 tonnes in 2015 – a 16.1% increase year on year.[5] It has one passenger terminal with an area of 125,000 m2 (1,350,000 sq ft).[5]
Sharjah International Airport is home base of thelow-cost carrierAir Arabia. The headquarters of Air Arabia is in the Sharjah Freight Center,[6] on the property of the airport[7] in Sharjah, UAE.[6] The center is an old cargo terminal.
It replaced RAF Sharjah, which was closer to the city and was opened in 1932. It was the first airport in UAE and theCooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, for use byImperial Airways, and was subsequently used by theRAF until 14 December 1971.[8] The reason for the move was development pressure from the city of Sharjah. The old terminal and tower building is now Al Mahatta Museum.[9] The old airport's runway is now part of King Abdul Aziz Street in the city centre.[10][11][12]
The airport is at an elevation of 116 feet (35 m) abovemean sea level. It has onerunway designated 12/30 with anasphalt surface measuring 4,060 m × 60 m (13,320 ft × 197 ft).[1][15]
Founded in 1985, Sharjah Airport Travel Agency is owned by the Sharjah Airport Authority, Government of Sharjah and has 14 branches in the UAE, including one on the first floor of the main terminal at Sharjah Airport.[16]
There are twoprayer rooms available, one in the transit area of the Arrivals Terminal and the other on the ground floor of the Departures Terminal. There aremosques in both the East and West Cargo Terminals 3 and 4.
On 15 December 1997, aTupolev Tu-154 fromTajikistan Airlines Flight 3183 crashed on approach to SHJ. Some 13 km from Sharjah the plane ran into terrain and 85 of the 86 occupants died. One of the seven crew members survived the disaster.[74]
On 10 February 2004,Kish Air Flight 7170, operated by aFokker 50 crashed on approach, killing 43 of its 46 occupants, which consisted of 3 crew and 40 passengers.[75][76]
On 7 November 2004, an Air AtlantaBoeing 747 freighter was damaged beyond repair due to an aborted take-off with insufficient runway remaining. None of the four crew was injured. The take-off was aborted after a report of smoke from the control tower and hearing a loud bang in the cockpit.[77]
On 21 October 2009,Azza Transport Flight 2241, operated by aBoeing 707–320, crashed on take-off. The flight was carrying cargo only and all six crew members were killed.[78][79]
^ab"Contact InfoArchived 20 October 2012 at theWayback Machine." Air Arabia. Retrieved on 21 June 2010. "Air Arabia (UAE) Air Arabia Head Quarters Sharjah Freight Center (Cargo), near Sharjah International Airport P.O. Box 132 Sharjah, United Arab Emirates"
^Sobie, Brendan. "Low cost & regionals: Arabian pioneers."Flight International. 23 April 2007. Retrieved on 8 February 2011. "Air Arabia's headquarters is hidden in a dated cargo terminal at Sharjah airport, a 15km (9 miles) drive from central Dubai, which should take 15 minutes but can take up to two hours during rush hour."
^"Yearbook & Directory 2010"(PDF). Sharjah International Airport. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 7 April 2012.... the existing runway, which at 4,060 metres is the longest in the Middle East
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This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
Media related toSharjah International Airport at Wikimedia Commons
