Sharjah International Airport
Sharjah International Airport مطار الشارقة الدولي | |||||||||||
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| File:Sharjah IA Logo.png | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Military/Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Sharjah International Airport | ||||||||||
| Serves | Sharjah, UAE | ||||||||||
| Hub for | |||||||||||
| Time zone | UAE Standard Time (UTC+04:00) | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 116 ft / 35 m | ||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  OMSJ Location in the UAE | |||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2012) | |||||||||||
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Sharjah International Airport (Template:Lang-ar) IATA: SHJ, ICAO: OMSJ is an airport located 7 nautical miles (13 km; 8.1 mi)[1] east south east of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. It is spread over an area of 3,593,390 m2 (38,678,900 sq ft).[3]
Sharjah Airport is the second largest Middle East airfreight hub in cargo tonnage, according to official 2009 statistics from Airports Council International. Ground services company, Sharjah Aviation Services, handled 421,398 tonnes in 2009 — a 16.1% increase year on year. It has one passenger terminal with an area of 105,300 m2 (1,133,000 sq ft).
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.[5]
The airport is 15 km (9.3 mi) away from central Dubai; a drive that ought to take 15 minutes can take up to two hours in rush hour traffic.[5]
History
The current Sharjah Airport was built in the 1970s and was opened on 1 January 1977. 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 airport's runway is now part of King Abdul Aziz Street in the city centre.[7][8][9]
The airport was used by the United States Air Force 926th Tactical Fighter Group during Operation Desert Shield/Storm.[10] 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 resides at an elevation of 116 feet (35 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 12/30 with an asphalt surface measuring 4,063 m × 45 m (13,330 ft × 148 ft).[1][11]
Airlines and destinations
Cargo airlines
Statistics
The number of passengers passing through Sharjah International Airport has drastically increased in the past decade.[2][28]
| 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 | n/a | 63,737 |
| 2012 | 7,516,538 | 419,076 | 65,975 |
Incidents and accidents
- On 15 December 1997 a Tupolev Tu-154 from Tajik Air 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.[29]
- 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.[30][31]
- On 7 November 2004 a Boeing 747-230 Freighter was damaged beyond repair due to an aborted take-off with insufficient runway remaining. None of the 4 crew were injured. The take-off was aborted after a report of smoke from the tower and hearing a loud bang in the cockpit.[32]
- 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 were killed.[33][34]
References
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- ^ a b c United Arab Emirates AIP (login required)
- ^ a b "Airport Statistics". Sharjah International Airport.
- ^ Information for Prospective Airline
- ^ a b "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"
- ^ a b c Sobie, Brendan. "Low cost & regionals: Arabian pioneers." Flight International. April 23, 2007. Retrieved on February 8, 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."
- ^ Stations-S
- ^ "Airports and ATC: nothing but the best", Flight International, 30 July 1977, p.354 (online archive version). Retrieved 3 September 2010.
- ^ History of Sharjah. Retrieved 3 September 2010.
- ^ Sharjah - How to Get There. Retrieved 3 September 2010.
- ^ USAF Historical Research Agency Document 00874269
- ^ "Yearbook & Directory 2010" (PDF). Sharjah International Airport.
... the existing runway, which at 4,060 metres is the longest in the Middle East
- ^ "Air Arabia adds Astana to Kazakhstan network". Al Bawaba. 10 October 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
- ^ Air Arabia start Sharjah-Baghdad route from March 2013
- ^ Air Arabia launching new Sri Lankan destination
- ^ "Air Arabia launches service to Kazan". Arabian Aerospace. 2 October 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
- ^ "Air Arabia. Новый рейс Шымкент-Шарджа-Шымкент". International Travel plus. 05 February 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Air Arabia launching Sialkot
- ^ Our Bureau. "Business Line : Industry & Economy / Logistics : Jet Airways to launch Mumbai-Sharjah service from Oct 18". Thehindubusinessline.com. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
- ^ L, J (11 April 2013). "RusLine Adds New Service to Sharjah & Tel Aviv from April 2013". Routesonline / Routes. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
- ^ QR to launch DWC
- ^ Spicejet to fly to Sharjah from Lucknow, Varanasi
- ^ SpiceJet Starts Pune-Sharjah Flight, Pact With Air Arabia
- ^ Avient Aviation Schedule from Sharjah
- ^ Etihad Cargo Route Map and Schedule
- ^ MP Cargo winter 2012 timetable
- ^ Article mentions MH to SHJ
- ^ TMA Cargo Schedule Destinations
- ^ Sharjah airport records 14% growth in passengers
- ^ AviationSafety.net database on EY85281, retrieved 9 May 2009
- ^ Khaleej Times Online: article about Kish Air crash
- ^ "AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT 01/04" (PDF). General Civil Aviation Authority of the UAE. Retrieved 21 August 2009.
- ^ AviationSafety.net database on plane:TF-APR, retrieved 9 May 2009
- ^ "Six dead as cargo plane crashes at Sharjah Airport". Arabian Business. Retrieved 21 October 2009.
- ^ "UAE crashed cargo plane owned by Sudan's Azza Air". Reuters. 21 October 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2009.
External links
- Sharjah Airport
- Accident history for SHJ at Aviation Safety Network
- Aeronautical chart and airport information for OMSJ at SkyVector
- Current weather for OMSJ at NOAA/NWS
