Aviation Sharjah airport passenger traffic grows 17% in 2023 By Pramod Kumar January 16, 2024, 5:58 AM Wam Air traffic at Sharjah Airport increased 12.5% year on year to over 98,000 flight movements last year Sharjah airport received 15.3 million passengers in 2023, an increase of 17.4 percent year on year, as it added new passenger routes and cargo hubs. Air traffic increased 12.5 percent to over 98,000 flight movements last year, Sharjah Airport Authority said in a statement. Additionally, the airport handled a total cargo volume of over 141,000 tonnes during the year. Middle East aviation prepares for take-off in 2024 Sharjah begins work on $338m airport terminal expansion UAE’s daily air traffic hit all-time high on first day of Cop28 Seven new destinations were added for passengers, including Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Kazan and Samara, Russia; Lar, Iran; Indore, India; Bangkok; and Phuket, Thailand. Three new air cargo destinations were also introduced: Houston, US; Kigali, Rwanda; and Nasik, India. “We will continue our expansion and development efforts in line with our aim to enhance the infrastructure and services provided,” said Ali Salim Al Midfa, chairman of Sharjah Airport Authority. Sharjah Airport is connected to over 100 destinations through 33 international airlines in 62 countries. India topped the list of travel destinations with over 3,4 million passengers. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan followed with passenger numbers exceeding 1.5 million and 1.2 million, respectively. Doha, Qatar; Dhaka, Bangladesh; and Cairo, Egypt, were the three most preferred cities. Sharjah Airport Authority is on course to complete its expansion plans by 2027. Earlier this year, Sharjah Ruler Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi laid the cornerstone of the new AED2.4 billion ($653.43 million) passenger terminal expansion project. The project is anticipated to increase the airport’s capacity to 20 million passengers.