Sharjah International Airport Explained
| Sharjah International Airport |
| Image2-Width: | 250 |
| Iata: | SHJ |
| Icao: | OMSJ |
| Type: | Public / Military |
| Operator: | Sharjah Airport |
| Location: | Sharjah |
| Operating Base: | Air Arabia |
| Timezone: | UAE Standard Time |
| Elevation-F: | 116 |
| Coordinates: | 25.3292°N 55.5161°W |
| Pushpin Map: | - UAE#Middle East#Asia
|
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the UAE |
| Pushpin Label: | SHJ/OMSJ |
| Metric-Rwy: | Y |
| R1-Number: | 12/30 |
| R1-Length-M: | 4,060 |
| R1-Surface: | Asphalt |
| Stat-Year: | 2023 |
| Stat1-Header: | Passengers |
| Stat1-Data: | 15,300,000 (17.7%) |
| Stat2-Header: | Movements |
| Stat2-Data: | 132,786 (8.8%) |
| Stat3-Header: | Cargo tonnage |
| Stat3-Data: | 318,522 (10.8%) |
| Footnotes: | Sources: UAE AIP[1]
Statistics from Sharjah International Airport[2] |
Sharjah International Airport (Arabic: مطار الشارقة|Maṭār aš-Šāriqa) is an international airport located 7NM[1] east-southeast of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. It is spread over an area of 15200000m2.[3] It has one runway, and is the only airport in Sharjah capable of international flights as of 2022.
Overview
Sharjah International Airport is the third largest Middle East airfreight 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. It has one passenger terminal with an area of 125000m2.
Sharjah International Airport is home base of the low-cost carrier Air Arabia. The headquarters of Air Arabia is in the Sharjah Freight Center,[4] on the property of the airport[5] in Sharjah, UAE.[4] 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 the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, for use by Imperial Airways, and was subsequently used by the RAF until 14 December 1971.[6] The reason for the move was development pressure from the city of Sharjah. The old terminal and tower building is now Al Mahatta Museum.[7] The old airport's runway is now part of King Abdul Aziz Street in the city centre.[8] [9] [10]
The airport was used by the United States Air Force 926th Tactical Fighter Group during Operation Desert Shield/Storm.[11] Approximately 450 members of the unit were stationed at the airport, which flew A-10 Thunderbolt II ground attack aircraft during the conflict in late 1990 and early 1991.
Facilities
The airport is at an elevation of 116feet above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 12/30 with an asphalt surface measuring 4060x.[1] [12]
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.[13] There are two prayer rooms available, one in the transit area of the Arrivals Terminal and the other in the ground floor of the Departures Terminal. In addition to this there are mosques in both the East and West Cargo Terminals 3 and 4.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights to and from Sharjah:[14]
Cargo
Statistics
Traffic at Sharjah International Airport[15] | Year | Total passengers | Total cargo | Total aircraft movements |
|---|
| 1999 | 1,001,852 | 580,550 | 27,577 |
|---|
| 2000 | 948,207 | 475,122 | 25,997 |
|---|
| 2001 | 861,478 | 415,587 | 24,431 |
|---|
| 2002 | 1,028,624 | 497,010 | 24,803 |
|---|
| 2003 | 1,247,458 | 507,644 | 28,017 |
|---|
| 2004 | 1,661,941 | 500,927 | 32,334 |
|---|
| 2005 | 2,237,646 | 505,392 | 38,699 |
|---|
| 2006 | 3,064,396 | 569,511 | 44,182 |
|---|
| 2007 | 4,324,313 | 570,363 | 51,314 |
|---|
| 2008 | 5,280,445 | 586,677 | 60,813 |
|---|
| 2009 | 5,764,098 | 501,824 | 61,451 |
|---|
| 2011 | 6,600,000 | 417,116 | 63,737 |
|---|
| 2012 | 7,516,538 | 475,116 | 65,975 |
|---|
| 2013 | 8,505,268 | 493,402 | 66,247 |
|---|
| 2014 | 9,516,600 | 528,250 | 70,559 |
|---|
| 2015 | 11,993,887 | 586,195 | 98,786 | |
|---|
Accidents and incidents
- On 15 December 1997, a Tupolev Tu-154 from Tajikistan 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.[16]
- On 10 February 2004, Kish Air Flight 7170, operated by a Fokker 50 crashed on approach, killing 43 of its 46 occupants, which consisted of 3 crew and 40 passengers.[17] [18]
- On 7 November 2004, an Air Atlanta Boeing 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.[19]
- On 21 October 2009, Azza Transport Flight 2241, operated by a Boeing 707–320, crashed on take-off. The flight was carrying cargo only and all six crew members were killed.[20] [21]
See also
External links
Notes and References
- http://www.gcaa.gov.ae/aip/AIPSUP2013/UAE_AIP.html United Arab Emirates AIP
- Web site: Airport Statistics . Sharjah Airport . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120324054240/http://www.sharjahairport.ae/sharjah-authority/media-centre/airport-statistics . 24 March 2012 . dmy-all .
- Web site: Information for Prospective Airline. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20131230234453/http://www.sharjahairport.ae/sharjah-authority/information-for-prospective-airline. 30 December 2013.
- "Contact Info ." 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."
- Web site: Stations-S. 1 June 2015.
- Web site: UAE then and now: From RAF runway to busy Sharjah street . 16 March 2021 .
- http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1977/1977%20-%202361.html "Airports and ATC: nothing but the best"
- http://www.sharjahonweb.com/history.htm History of Sharjah
- http://www.sharjahonweb.com/flight.htm Sharjah – How to Get There
- Web site: USAF Historical Research Agency Document 00874269.
- Web site: Yearbook & Directory 2010 . Sharjah International Airport . ... the existing runway, which at 4,060 metres is the longest in the Middle East . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120407062239/http://www.sharjahairport.ae/graphics/annual-report/YB_english.pdf . 7 April 2012 . dmy-all .
- Web site: Sharjah Airport Travel Agency. ArabianBusiness.com. en. 2019-03-01.
- https://www.sharjahairport.ae/en/traveller/flight-information/flight-search/ sharjahairport.ae - Flight Timetable
- Web site: Sharjah airport records 14% growth in passengers. (Staff. Report). www.khaleejtimes.com. 20 January 2022. 30 December 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131230233210/http://www.khaleejtimes.com/biz/inside.asp?section=uaebusiness&xfile=%2Fdata%2Fuaebusiness%2F2013%2FJanuary%2Fuaebusiness_January237.xml. dead.
- AviationSafety.net database on EY85281, retrieved 9 May 2009
- Khaleej Times Online: article about Kish Air crash
- Web site: AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT 01/04 . General Civil Aviation Authority of the UAE . 21 August 2009.
- AviationSafety.net database on plane:TF-APR, retrieved 9 May 2009
- Web site: Six dead as cargo plane crashes at Sharjah Airport . Arabian Business . 21 October 2009.
- News: UAE crashed cargo plane owned by Sudan's Azza Air . Reuters . 21 October 2009. 21 October 2009.
