Record breaking figures at Sharjah International Airport with passenger figures crossing 3 million

Final statistics show a significant rise in passenger traffic, aircraft movement and freight handling which serves to confirm the position held by the airport as one of the leading international airports in the area of cargo and passengers.

The statistics issued by the Sharjah International Airport show the rise in movement of aircrafts during the past year by 14.2% compared to the same period in 2005. Flight movement figures reached a total of 44,182 flights in 2006, both scheduled and unscheduled flights, compared to the previous year's total of 38,699.

Passenger traffic registered a remarkable growth with a 36.9% compared to 2005 records. The number of passengers who travelled via the Sharjah International Airport in 2006 reached a new high of 3.064 million passengers compared to 2.237 million passengers in 2005. The air freight sector witnessed a growth rate of 12.69% in the handling of freight with numbers increasing from 505,392 tons in 2005 to 569,511 tons in the year 2006.

In a special statement on the occasion of the announcement of these impressive results Dr. Ghanem Al Hajri Director General Department of Civil Aviation & Sharjah Airport Authority, said "We are thrilled to announce these positive results in the areas of movement of aircrafts, passengers and air freight as it is a record rise in the period of one year. The Sharjah Civil Aviation department would like to thank His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qassimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah and convey our appreciation for the care and support of His Highness to the airport. His vision and encouragement have enabled the airport to grow and expand with the latest in aviation technology making it one of the most reputed in the region."

Dr. Al Hajri added, "Likewise the Sharjah Airport Authority would like to extend thanks also to the His Highness Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Bin Sultan Al Qassimi, Crown Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, for his aim to reach the vision of the Ruler of Sharjah, and his desire further the achievements of the airport. His pursuance of pioneering strategies has enabled the airport to reach this level of success."

The Sharjah International Airport has achieved an increase in aircraft movements last year, a 20.71% rise from the previous figures of scheduled flights from 27,331 in 2005 to 32,992 in 2006. Similarly the number of unscheduled flights in 2006 rose to 11,190. The record month of 2006, December, showed the highest movement of aircrafts in a month during the last year with 4,511 flights followed by November's figures which recorded 4,204 flights. Passenger traffic at Sharjah International Airport achieved new heights in 2006 by reaching a record three million passengers, a 36.9 % growth in passenger numbers compared to the same period in 2005. The airport received 3.064 million passengers in 2006 compared to the 2.237 million passenger totals of 2005.

The segment of incoming passengers (arrivals) rose by 37.3% during 2006 to a significant figure of 1.35 million passengers, a marked growth compared to the final figure of 980,500 passengers during the same period of the year 2005. Equally important is the increase in the rise of outbound travelers (Departures) from 970,140 passengers in 2005 to 1.3 million passengers in 2006, a commendable 34.2%. A surge in the number of transferred travelers achieved with an increase of 288% with latest figures reaching 148,600 passengers in 2006 from the 2005 total of 38,340 passengers. Not to be excluded from the boom at the Sharjah Airport is the passenger transit section where figures increased during the year by 7.54% but surged in the last month of December with the highest rate of passenger traffic arriving at a grand total of 342,090 passengers in one month!

Dr. Al Hajri also had this to say, "We extend our sincere thanks and appreciation for the efforts of our employees at Department of Civil Aviation & Sharjah Airport Authority. The coordination and cooperation of Government Departments working at the airport (Police, Customs and Immigration) have helped us in achieving these results as well. Our thanks is extended to all our customers from passengers, airlines, freight companies, travel and tourism offices and all who have trusted Sharjah Airport services. There is no doubt that the constant monitoring of new implementations and upgrades, close participation and involvement of the management and keen efforts of the staff to raise the airport's prestige to its vision have all been key factors in contributing to the positive results and remarkable growth rates which the Sharjah International Airport is experiencing. The success of the airport is evident with the new airlines now taking off from the airport, the increased number of flights, the smooth implementation of the different phases of the expansion project and the new commercial concepts introduced over the past year."

Sharjah International Airport Freight Centre is known in the region to be one of the most well developed and efficient freight centres, and the truth of this is reflected once again with the rise in the volume of air cargo (import) handled by 12.3%, from 65,175 tons in 2005 to 73,162 tons in 2006. The volume of air cargo (export) reached 117,832 tons in 2006. Likewise the volume of freight (transferred) rose by 116,9% from 35,881 tons in 2005 to an impressive 77,842 tons in 2006 and transit cargo volume increased from 275,920 tons in 2005 to 300,668 tons in 2006 representing a 8,97% increase.