Sharjah Airport invests AED 2.4 billion to reach 25 million passengers
Sharjah Airport is advancing a AED 2.4 billion expansion to lift annual capacity above 25 million passengers by end-2027, after 11.6 million in nine months.
The Sharjah Airport Authority is pressing ahead with a AED 2.4 billion package of expansion and infrastructure projects aimed at lifting annual capacity above 25 million passengers by the end of 2027, after the airport handled 11.6 million passengers in the first nine months of 2026.
Ali Salim Al Midfa, chairman of the authority, said the airport handled 11,601,728 passengers between 1 January and 30 September 2026, after traffic reached about 19.48 million passengers in 2025, up 13.9%, and that its route network now exceeds 100 destinations worldwide.
He added that the investment programme is designed to strengthen operational capacity, improve efficiency and enhance passenger services as Sharjah expands its international aviation network and tourism connectivity, and that the expansion is a central pillar of a strategy combining infrastructure investment with attracting new airline partners and destinations.
The announcement comes ahead of the authority's participation in World Travel Market London 2026, held from 3 to 5 November at ExCeL London under the umbrella of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority. Al Midfa said the participation reflects the integration of infrastructure development with expanding international partnerships.
What do these terms mean?
Passenger capacity: The maximum number of passengers an airport can handle a year without disrupting operations or lowering service quality.
UAE dirham: The official currency of the United Arab Emirates, pegged to the US dollar and used to cost government and investment projects.
Destination: A city or airport reached by direct flights or by operating airlines, a term used to measure the reach of an aviation network.
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