Sharjah Airport

Sharjah International Airport is located a few kilometres east of the city of the same name, and is used by passengers from all over the world as an alternative low-cost stopover to reach Dubai: the city of Sharjah in fact begins exactly where Dubai ends, bordering the district of Deira.

The airport is only 15 km from Dubai, or just over 15 minutes by car, but this can turn into two hours (or even more) during peak hours: Sharjah is in fact the home of Dubai’s working class, and its inhabitants in the early morning and late afternoon hours crowd the streets to get to and from their jobs in Dubai.

The evolution of the airport

Sharjah Airport was built in the 1970s. Operations began on 1 January 1977 and its importance grew especially from the 1990s, when it was used by the US Air Force as a base for attacks during the Gulf War.

Today, the airport is only used for civil aviation, its runway measures over 4 km and it is the hub of Air Arabia, a low-cost airline that flies to Sharjah from numerous Asian, European and North African countries. The airport has reached the remarkable quota of 12 million international transit passengers annually.

Airlines and terminals

There are several major airlines that also fly to Sharjah , attracted by providing an alternative to the busy Dubai airport. The terminal at Sharjah International Airport is modern and efficient. Inside, there is a duty-free shop, a restaurant area, a medical clinic, a mosque, a smoking area and a lounge, as well as, of course, numerous shops and basic services such as telephone, currency exchange and ATMs.

Connections between the airport and downtown Sharjah or Dubai

Connections between the airport and the city of Sharjah are provided by convenient buses or taxis. To reach the heart of Sharjah by taxi takes about 15 minutes, while to reach the northern part of Dubai (i.e. the districts around the Creek) it takes about 30 minutes.

It is certainly possible to hire a car for greater autonomy, the road signs are clear and simple, and also written in Latin characters to facilitate tourists or non-Arab workers.

Arrivals and Departures