Dubai: Sharjah international airport served more than seven million passengers with more than 57,000 aircraft movements in 2021, the emirate’s airport authority said on Wednesday.
In December alone, the airport welcomed around 1.2 million passengers, consistent with pre-COVID-19 levels.
The total volume of cargo handled during 2021 reached over 140,717 tonnes, while the volume of sea-air cargo reached 18,696 tonnes, up 22.27 per cent from 2019 levels.
“The airport has a high degree of flexibility with regard to applying new travel requirements to enhance safety of passengers and staff, while continuing to expand and develop a proactive strategy based on innovative solutions, sophisticated infrastructure, and young talents,” Ali Salim Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Airport Authority, said.
Welcoming new airlines
The airport welcomed several inaugural flights as it improved UAE’s connectivity with popular destinations. India’s Vistara and Go First, Russia’s Aeroflot, Qatar Airways, Turkey’s Anadolu Jet, Pakistan’s SereneAir, Syrian Cham Wings Airline, Ukraine’s Bees Airline, Oman Air, Salam Air from Muscat, Fly Egypt from Egypt and Kazakhstan’s FlyArystan operated inaugural flights to the emirate in 2021.
Expansion project continues
The ongoing expansion project aims to raise the airport’s capacity to 20 million passengers, with an estimated total area of more than 120,000sqm. This project would cost up to Dh1.9 billion and includes a complete expansion of the passenger terminal to increase capacity and ensure smooth movement through the airport. This upgrade will further help the airport to meet customer’s expectations of an exceptional journey through Sharjah airport.
