A Dh227 million investment planned in Sharjah International Airport expansion and redevelopment will see the space and other facilities expand almost four-fold, the Department of Civil Aviation announced yesterday.
The expanded facilities will be able to handle 8 million passengers annually, said Dr Ganem Al Hajiri, director-general of Sharjah International Airport and the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA).
Work on the expansion will commence next month and will be completed in 18 months.
"While international consultancy GHD will be the designer, consultant and project group manager for this project, Bin Laden Group has been mandated to implement it," Dr Al Hajiri said.
"Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) will participate in the project as financier."
Shaikh Abdullah Bin Mohammad Al Thani, Chairman of the Sharjah Department of Civil Aviation, signed the agreement yesterday with Hashim Al Safi, managing director of the Bin Laden Group.
The development comes at a time when most airports in the GCC countries are in the process of expanding, involving huge investments.
The comprehensive plans prepared for Sharjah airport will be compliant with not only International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards, but also the American Institute of Concrete (ACI) standards for airport design, Dr Al Hajiri said.
He said the airports in the UAE have led to the integral development of civil aviation, contributing to the country's overall economic growth.
"Sharjah International Airport has been witnessing an increase in the number of passengers for many years, and this expansion and redevelopment is expected to further push this growth," he added.
