Work on the terminal expansion project at Sharjah International Airport kicked off on Wednesday (January 3) with HH Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, laying the foundation stone.
The ceremony was also attended by HH Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah.
The 190,000-sq-m terminal project is the largest phase of a series of expansion projects with a total cost of AED2.4 billion ($653.45 million), expected to be completed in 2027. The new terminal itself will cost AED1.235 billion ($336.26 million), raising the airport’s capacity to 20 million passengers annually.
The expansion will separate the arrivals from the departures and offer new systems and facilities.
Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed was briefed on the project’s features such as the self-check-in machines, electronic boarding gates, waiting lounges, food courts, and a hotel for transit passengers. He also received a detailed information on the communications technology systems to be used, which are set to improve operational efficiency.
The dignitaries also witnessed the Sharjah Airport Authority’s signing ceremony of the main contractor for the terminal project.
Parsons International had won an AED51.5m ($14m) contract to serve as the project manager for the expansion project, in May 2017.
The ceremony was also attended by Sheikh Khalid Bin Abdullah Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of Sharjah Sea Ports and Customs; Sheikh Faisal bin Saud Al Qasimi, Director of Sharjah International Airport Authority; Sheikh Sultan bin Abdullah Al Thani, Director of Department of Civil Aviation; and several government officials.
Sharjah Airport witnessed an impressive surge in passenger traffic last year, with over 7 million passengers passing through its terminals during the first half of 2023, 24.4 percent compared to the corresponding period in 2022; and more than 4 million in the third quarter of 2023, a rise of over 12 percent compared to the same period in 2022.
The airport also achieved substantial growth in cargo operations too.
