His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah kicked off Sharjah International Airport’s terminal expansion project by laying the foundation stone on 3 January. The ceremony was also attended by HH Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah.
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.
According to a report, the 190,000sqm terminal project is the largest phase of a series of expansion projects with a total cost of US $653.45mn, and is expected to be completed in 2027.
The new terminal will itself cost $336.26mn and will raise the airport’s capacity to 20m 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 detailed information on the communications technology systems to be used, which are set to improve operational efficiency.
The dignitaries also witnessed Sharjah Airport Authority’s signing ceremony of the main contractor for the terminal project. Parsons International won the $14mn contract to serve as the project manager for the expansion project in May 2017.
Sharjah Airport is said to have witnessed an impressive surge in passenger traffic last year, with over seven million passengers passing through its terminals during the first half of 2023, 24.4% more compared to the corresponding period in 2022; and more than four million in the third quarter of 2023, a rise of over 12% compared to the same period in 2022. The airport also achieved substantial growth in cargo operations too, the report concluded.
