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Sharjah: The history of UAE aviation spread its wings in 1932 when the Royal Air Force was looking for a stopover to India.
Sharjah airport was the first airport in the UAE and was built by the Royal Air Force 76 years ago for Imperial Airways, which later went on to become British Airways. It was used as a stopover base en route to India and Australia.
"The first flight landed in May 1932 and was used by soldiers and the Royal Family. In 1933, it was also the first airport to have a full meteorological centre and we still have records," says Khalid Essam Al Qasimi, Director, Department of Civil Aviation, Sharjah International Airport.
In 1968, the government of Sharjah saw the need to expand the airport because of increasing traffic at the airport, and it was decided to build another one 15 kilometres away from the old airport.
"The old airport still stands today and is now known as Al Mahatta Museum, and some of the planes used at that time are still on display," added Al Qasimi.
The current airport located along Al Dhaid Road was built in 1978, and was finished off with Islamic architectural designs. The three domes that envelop the airport have become an attractive icon of the city that was designed by His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.
The emirate made headlines once again in 1979 when it became home to the first delegated cargo complex in the UAE, and Sharjah was the first hub for Lufthansa cargo outside Germany. The duty free facility came about ten years later and by 2007 had already tripled in size. At present, there is one runway at the airport but Al Qasimi emphasises that there are plans to expand it.
"An important part of the airport's history was in 2003 when Air Arabia was launched. Operations from Sharjah Airport were a bit slow because we did not have an airline and were unable to attract other carriers. But with the financial support from the government and investors, we were able to make the first local carrier in the region and that encouraged other passengers to visit and in turn, generated more traffic," he says.
The growth of Air Arabia caused the need for the airport to expand and in 2005 the Sharjah International Airport Project was launched at a cost of $100 million (Dh367) and although it is currently ongoing, it is expected to be completed in November.
The expansion included the land site, where the terminal was enlarged and more passenger facilities were constructed, in addition to the air site that has brought a total of 15 parking spaces for airplanes. A first class and business class lounge is also being built, as well as a food court area and a business centre.
"The number of passengers is increasing all the time. We never expected to receive this kind of growth and it was more than we expected, which is all due to the increasing operations of Air Arabia," says Al Qasimi.
Before Air Arabia was set up, Sharjah International Airport had an average of one million passengers a year. However, since 2003 the number of passengers has dramatically risen from 1.6 million in 2004 to 4.3 million in 2007. "We are currently carrying out a study and are in the process of building another terminal at Sharjah airport, in addition to building another runway so it can be used for emergencies."
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