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COVER STORY<br />
Continuing Evolution<br />
The airport's first major transformation<br />
came about in 1977 with<br />
the completion of the new airport<br />
t e r m i n a l b u i l d i n g a n d t h e<br />
subsequent establishment of a<br />
freight center in 1979.<br />
In 2014, it underwent another major<br />
transformation with its runway<br />
expanded to 4,060 meters, enough to<br />
accommodate the world's biggest<br />
commercial plane, the doubledecker<br />
Airbus 380.<br />
“Being so strategically well-located,<br />
cargo became a major component of<br />
the airports' business and within 20<br />
years, the freight center needed an<br />
expansion. Sharjah International<br />
Airport has a unique location being<br />
10-km away from Sharjah city centre<br />
and about 20 minutes drive from<br />
nearby Emirates and also within easy<br />
reach of the Northern Emirates,”<br />
explained Al Midfa who first joined<br />
the airport in 1996 and eventually<br />
became its director in 2005.<br />
Because of its strategic location, SIA<br />
became an important air cargo<br />
transit point or hub for carriers in the<br />
region. In 2003, it made history when<br />
it became the hub for Air Arabia.<br />
“In 2003, Air Arabia, the first low-cost<br />
carrier in the MENA region, was<br />
established with a base at Sharjah<br />
International Airpor t and this<br />
increased passenger numbers<br />
significantly leading to the passenger<br />
terminal expansion in 2008. In 2014,<br />
the airport added the longest runway<br />
in the region at 4,060 meters. This<br />
enables all aircraft, up to the A380, to<br />
land and take off with full load<br />
c a p a c i t y d u r i n g a l l w e a t h e r<br />
conditions,” said Al Midfa who has<br />
been steering the wheel behind SIA's<br />
success for many years now.<br />
The publicly listed Air Arabia<br />
currently serves more than 140<br />
routes from its hubs in Sharjah,<br />
Morocco, Egypt & Jordan.<br />
“The new expansion<br />
will be carried out<br />
progressively over a<br />
number of phases, the<br />
most important one<br />
being the expansion of<br />
roads to and from the<br />
airport in addition to<br />
additional facilities<br />
which will increase the<br />
abilities of the airport<br />
and develop its<br />
services significantly.”<br />
Sharjah Airport<br />
Authority Chairman Ali<br />
Salim Al Midfa
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