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Sharjah International Airport, airport code SHJ

Sharjah International Airport (airport code SHJ, not SIA or SHA) flight information and guide to arrivals, departures, transport, facilities. SHJ is located in the Emirate of Sharjah on the Sharjah Airport Road. There is only one terminal, with arrival and departure areas connected internally, about a 1 min walk apart (inside, not outside which is much longer due to barriers). Almost all flights in to or out of SHJ are operated by Air Arabia (G9).

Sharjah Airport information update

Jul 2017 update

• Check in area restricted to flying passengers only, and airport authorities are quite strict about this. Don't expect to accompany friends or family up to the chicken desk if you're not flying.
• Smart Gates for passports (different from E-Gates for egate or Emirates ID cards) installed Oct 2016. Free registration for any passenger with machine-readable passport, not just those with UAE residence visas.
• Free wifi allegedly available for 30 mins max, according to 02 Oct 2016 press release about a partnership with Etisalat ("Sharjah Airport Authority and Etisalat sign an agreement to offer free Wi-Fi at the airport"). After 30 mins you have to pay. To make use of free wifi ... we're still trying to figure that out. No instructions found on Sharjah Airport or Etisalat websites.
• Wifi available in business and first class airport lounge.
• Car parking charges for short term car park costs minimum AED 10 for 30 mins, AED 15 for 1 hour, +AED 10 per hr for 2-24 hrs, AED 190 per day after first day (AED 245). Long term car park same as short term for first 4 hours, AED 90 per day for 4+ hours. Max 30 day stay, overstay fine is AED 2,000 + parking fees. Lost token fine AED 200 + parking fees.
• Dining facilities at Sharjah Airport (all 24 hrs, 7 days ... but no alcohol during Ramadan, and landside outlets might be closed daytime):
  • Transit area and airside food court after check-in: Chinese House Restaurant, Costa Coffee, Dunkin Donuts, Fusion Bites (?), Grab N Go, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, London Dairy, McDonald's (no breakfast menu), Mumbai Spices, World News Cafe (several locations). Don't expect to find a seat in food court area very easily in the mornings, it is congested with all the A to A visa change travellers.
  • F&B at departures area (landside): Costa Coffee.
  • F&B at arrivals: Chocolix (ice creams), Dunkin Donuts, Fusion Bites (?), McDonald's (not found, closed?), Subway sandwiches.
  • [Check] Roche Sweets Company (new?), Café Med (closed?), Catalina Lounge (closed?), Cuisine Xpress (closed), Sky Cafe (not a cafe, is reference to Alpha Aviation inflight catering service for Air Arabia)?
• Hotels near Sharjah Airport:
  • Airport Transit Hotel, in airport, only for transit passengers.
  • Centro Rotana, closest hotel to the airport. Less than 5 min by taxi, or 15 min walk, but don't do it in summer, especially daytime, it's too hot. Really.
  • Sharjah International Airport Hotel, other side of main highway from airport, next to Royal Hospital. About 5 min by taxi. Also a 15 min walk in theory but an unpleasant one (the bridge over the highway is not pedestrian-friendly), don't do it.
  • No other hotels near the airport, and note that the airport (and those hotels) are far from downtown Sharjah or Dubai. Of the two hotels, Centro is the better option in terms of facilities, cleanliness, etc.
• [Cancelled] Sharjah Airport to Dubai Rashidiya metro station public bus route 111 operated by KGL (STS) and RTA is no longer operating (launched in 2010, cancelled in 2010?). Note that bus route 113 to Rashidiya metro station operates from downtown Sharjah (Jubail or Rolla Sq?), not Sharjah Airport.
• KGL buses mostly serve routes within Sharjah emirate only. Sharjah Airport bus stop outside arrivals exit, bus routes 14, 15, 88, 99. Bus 14 terminates at the Sharjah-Ajman border.
• Cheap ways to get from Sharjah Airport to Dubai for Dutch or Scottish citizens, and budget travellers of other nationalities (do trip in reverse for Dubai to Sharjah Airport), but if arriving between 2300 and 0430 or departing between 0100 and 0700 check public transport times carefully, you might have to rely on taxis only:
  1. [Best, if you're on an Air Arabia flight] Air Arabia shuttle bus. They are infrequent so check times and confirm directly with phone call to Air Arabia (don't rely on this page or their website).
  2. [Second best, and cheapest if you can make at least one new friend to share a taxi with] Taxi and metro. Aiport taxi to Etisalat metro station (Green Line, closest to SHJ) or Rashidiyah metro station (Red Line) in Dubai, then continue on Dubai public transport network. Taxi journey about 30 min (more in heavy traffic) and AED 50. Add AED 3-10 for metro or bus trip within Dubai (if you don't have a Nol card, buy one at the metro station for AED 20).
  3. [Worst, especially with luggage, and/or lack of Nol card] Taxi and walk and bus. Airport taxi to back side of Sahara Center shopping mall in Sharjah (Al Nahda area), then walk through the hole in the Dubai-Sharjah border fence (no passport required, just follow the crowds) to one of the bus stops in Dubai Al Nahda area and continue from there. Cheapskates recommend this because it saves you the AED 20 cross-border charge for taxi trips. Taxi to Sahara Center from SHJ will be about AED 30 and 30+ min. By the time you get to a bus stop with sand in your shoes, sweat down your back, and a broken luggage handle from dragging it through the sand, you'll wish you'd stumped up the extra AED 20 for the taxi trip to a metro station. Especially if you don't have a Nol card to use on the Dubai buses (they don't take cash), and hail another cab to take you to the nearest metro station to buy a Nol card.
  4. [Cheapest] Public bus only. Sharjah KGL bus to to Rolla Sq or Jubail bus station first, then catch one of the KGL or RTA buses to Dubai. Total journey time will be 2-3 hrs, more if during rush hour traffic, cost about AED 20-30.
• "Air Arabia Express" inter-emirate shuttle bus service (they call it a "coach" but it's only a small Toyota Coaster bus). Launched Apr 2011.
  • Buses are located outside airport arrivals area near public bus stop, buy ticket from driver. Only for Air Arabia passengers.
  • Sharjah-Dubai fares AED 20 each way as of Jul 2017. Not AED 10 as stated in some sources; this was the original fare when service first launched in 2011 if booked online but tickets were always AED 20 from airport or Flora Hotel bus stop. Routes now are to Al Ghurair Center shopping mall in Deira and Lamcy Plaza in Bur Dubai. Route to Flora Deluxe Hotel Apartments in Deira no longer operating (timings were hourly almost 24 hrs).
  • Sharjah to Jebel Ali (JAFZA) fares AED 30 each way (route not listed on AA website).
  • Sharjah-Abu Dhabi (behind Advanced Travel and Tourism on Muroor Rd, between Hamdan St and Zayed the 1st St (Electra St)) or Al Ain (Air Arabia shop on Oud Al Touba St) fares AED 40 each way. Sharjah to Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) (Ras Al Khaima) fares AED 30 each way; pick up and drop off point is Air Arabia shop on Oman Road.
  • No Air Arabia (or any other bus) service between Sharjah Airport and Fujairah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain emirates.
  • Timetable below is for scheduled timings from Sharjah Airport bus stop (as of Jul 2017), different from online version (Lamcy Plaza and Al Ghurair timings, Jebel Ali route not in online version). Actual departure times probably the same as schedule shows, but don't expect arrival times to match depending on traffic congestion (can be up to 1 hr delay between Dubai and Sharjah at peak times) (checked Jul 2017).

Routes from Sharjah Airport
Destination	Fare AED	Depart	Arrive	Notes
Abu Dhabi	40	0815, 1230, 1900, 2100	+2h45m	Allow 3hrs daytime
Al Ain	40	0730, 2000	+2h30m
Dubai, 3 routes
Al Ghurair Mall, Deira	20	0700, 0800, 1230, 1630, 2230	+1 hr	+1h30m for 0700, 0800
Lamcy Plaza, Bur Dubai	20	0700, 0800, 1230, 1630, 1900, 2030, 2230	+1 hr	+1h30m for 0700, 0800
JAFZA, Jebel Ali	30	0730	+2 hrs
Ras Al Khaimah	30	0800, 1930, 2300	+1h30m
Routes to Sharjah Airport
Origin	Fare	Depart	Arrive	Notes
Abu Dhabi	40	0300, 0830, 1530, 1700	+2h30m	+3h for 1530, 1700
Al Ain	40	0300, 1630	+2h30m
Dubai, 3 routes
Al Ghurair Mall	20	1030, 1400, 1415, 1800, 2030, 2230	+1 hr	+1h30m for 1800
Lamcy Plaza	20	1000, 1330, 1400, 1800, 1930, 2030, 2200	+1 hr	+1h30m for 1800, 1930
JAFZA, Jebel Ali	30	0430, 1800	+1h30m	+2hr for 1800
Ras Al Khaimah	30	1000, 1800, 2100	+1h30m

• Taxis available 24 hrs. Allow AED 20-50 to or from destinations in Sharjah (e.g. Rolla Square downtown Sharjah AED 40-50). Allow AED 50-200 for taxi to or from Dubai (surcharge of AED 20 to cross Sharjah-Dubai border). Allow AED 300-350 for taxi to or from Abu Dhabi. Allow AED 250-300 for taxi to or from Al Ain. For example:
  • Mirdiff City Centre to Sharjah Airport about AED 75 by taxi.
  • Dubai Mall to Sharjah Airport about AED 100 by taxi.
  • Mall of the Emirates to Sharjah Airport about AED 125 by taxi.
  • Dubai Marina to Sharjah Airport by taxi about AED 150.
  • Outlet Village Mall, Jebel Ali, Dubai Parks & Resorts to Sharjah Airport by taxi about AED 175-200.
• Traffic between Dubai and Sharjah, and in downtown Sharjah area is very heavy at times. Peak hours 0600-0900 Sharjah to Dubai, and 1600-2000 Dubai to Sharjah (add 30-60 min to journey time during those periods).
• Transport information on some websites is rather optimistic, for example suggesting bus transport within Sharjah is comprehensive and easy to use. It's mostly for workers traveling to office and factory locations, not for tourists going sightseeing. However, taxis are relatively cheap.
• Airport Lounge (CIP International First and Business Class Lounge) access for walk-in fees were AED 100 (might be higher now) for 3 hrs. No sleeping allowed but includes food, limited drinks (alcohol available if not during Ramadan), showers, chairs.
• Related companies, pages:
  • Hala Services for meet and greet, fast track immigration, lounges, flowers, chauffeur-drive, visa deposit, visa cancellation, etc. But expect a long wait at the airport office in the morning because of the queue of Airport to Airport (A2A) visa change passengers lining up for a Hala OK To Board certificate.
  • Centro Sharjah Hotel next to airport.
  • Duty free shopping managed by DuFry (Du Fry?). An international duty free shop operator, HQ in Switzerland.
  • Sharjah Airport Travel Agency (SATA).
  • Sharjah Aviation Services: baggage handling and other ground services at SHJ.
  • Alpha Flight Services?
  • Transit Hotel?

List of airlines with flights to and from Sharjah Airport

Passenger flights

• Air Arabia
• Air India
• Air India Express
• AirBlue Pakistan
• EgyptAir (Egypt Air), passenger and cargo flights
• IndiGo Airlines
• Jet Airways
• Jordan Aviation
• Pakistan Airlines (PIA)
• Saheen Air
• Syrian Arab Airlines
• Uzbekistan Airways

Cargo flights only

• Ethiopian Airlines
• Lufthansa
• Saudi Arabian Airlines
• Singapore Airlines
• Southern Air

Information below not updated since 2009 or 2014 (mostly).

Sharjah International Airport

Some figures based on Gulf News report of new runway 13 Nov 2009.

• 3 letter IATA airport code is SHJ. Other official airport documents also use SIA (e.g. SIA Year Book).
• 4 letter ICAO code is OMSJ.
• Sharjah Airport located on the Sharjah Airport Road (E88) from Cultural Square in Sharjah to Al Dhaid, near Sharjah University City.
• One runway, handles 220 flights per day (Nov 2009).
• Second runway planned, CAT III, length 4000 meters, construction period expected to be from 2010-2012.
• First flights in 1932 when Imperial Airways built a small airfield (which is now the site of the Al Mahatta Museum).
• Current Sharjah Airport built in 1977 (and it looks like a typical 1970s airport with linoleum floors and Jetsons style terminal building).
• Passenger capacity 8 million per year. Passengers handled 5.3 million in 2008, 6 million expected for 2009. Second terminal in planning stages.

Hotels near Sharjah International Airport

• Centro Sharjah Airport is close to the airport (very short taxi ride or a 10-15 minute walk - don't do it in the midsummer heat, take a taxi), as of 2012 anyway. There is also Sharjah International Airport Hotel across the main highway.
• Otherwise, pick a hotel in Dubai unless you particularly want to stay near Sharjah Airport for some reason. Downtown Sharjah is about as far from the airport as Dubai is, and most visitors want to see things in Dubai anyway. Traffic between Dubai and Sharjah is notoriously congested during morning rush hour to Dubai and evening rush hour back to Sharjah.

Sharjah Airport traffic growth facts, figures, statistics

Year	Flights	Change	Passengers	Change	Freight cargo volume	Change
2012			7.5 million
2010	65,401	+6.4%	6.3 million	+9.4%	514,881 tonnes	+30.7%
2009	61,451		5.7 million		393,938 tonnes

• 2009 & 2010 data from WAM news release 24 January 2011. Additional information - marine-air cargo volume 66,665 tonnes, up 32.39% from 50,355 tonnes in 2009.

Sharjah Airport expansion

• Sharjah Airport 2030 master plan will include a new logistics area connected to the Etihad Rail network (WAM 20 Dec 2013, "Sharjah airport reveals 2030 master plan").

Flights to and from Sharjah Airport (SHJ)

See also Air Arabia flights. List below is not complete yet.

• Air India Express IX (budget) - CCJ, COK, TRV
• Air India Express Kochi-Sharjah flights suspended from 07 Sep to 31 Oct 2010 due to pilot shortages (Khaleej Times report 06 September 2010). Or not, according to later reports¹. Air India Gulf Regional Manager, Abhay Pathak, was quoted as saying "Cabin crew are not supposed to exceed 1,000 hours of flying in a year. We are doing this rescheduling of flights because of this. We have some commercial requirements as well,"
• AirBlue (Pakistan) - Islamabad (15 Dec 2008), Peshawar (planned).
• Azza Air Transport (Sudan) - banned after Sharjah Airport crash in October 2009. Has been on US blacklist since 1997 after allegedly supplying weapons for the Darfur genocide.
• Eagles Aviation Management, Sharjah International Airport SAIF Zone Block D, office 30, tel +971-6-5576982, email info@eaglesam.com. Not commercial flights, and navigation doesn't appear to be too crash hot - on their website they've got Sharjah between Salalah in Oman and the Yemen border.
• Jet Airways (India) - Kochi daily (01 Sep 2009), Thiruvananthapuram daily (from 30 Oct 2011, announced 28 July 2011).
• Royal Falcon Airlines (Jordan) - Amman ADJ 2x weekly (Mar 2010)
• Safi Airways - Kabul (09 Nov 2007)
• Sun Air (Sudan) - Khartoum KRT
• Yeti Airlines - Kathmandu

1. Air India UAE flight cancellations 2010

• Air India had announced cancellations or reduction in frequencies for the following flights in September and October 2010:
  • Kochi-Sharjah (cancelled)
  • Kozhikode-Sharjah (cancelled?)
  • Thiruvananthapuram-Abu Dhabi (cancelled?)
  • Thiruvananthapuram-Dubai (cancelled?)
• However, Emirates Business 24-7 reported on 08 September that According to Hit FM, a Malayalam radio channel broadcasting from Dubai, India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself intervened and assured his cabinet colleagues from Kerala that the decision to cancel flights to the Gulf, especially to Saudi Arabia and the UAE will be reversed.
• Protests in India reportedly led to the destruction of Air India offices in Trivandrum and Cochin. How that benefits anyway was not made clear by the protestors.
• Unknown if the flights really are going to be cancelled or not.

List of banned items at Sharjah Airport includes moustaches?

Apart from the usual list of banned items when flying to or from Sharjah Airport - drugs, explosives, firearms, bottles with liquids, etc, apparently moustaches are also on the list, at least according to a Gulf News report on 30 Dec 2013.

• An Indian gentleman, with a moustache, arrived at Sharjah Airport immigration after a flight from Thiruvananthapuram on Friday 27 Dec 2013. The immigration official allegedly made comments about his moustache and wanted the moustache removed before he would return the traveller's passport.
• The traveller was reported as saying about the official "He kept my passport and told me very seriously again to remove my moustache if I wanted it back and called the next person in line."
• It is unknown what rules the immigration official was following, and UAE immigration and customs department information does not say moustache imports are banned in the UAE, although to be fair, Sharjah does sometimes seem to be more restrictive than other emirates regarding imports - alcohol and pork items for example.
• However, eventually the passenger was permitted to continue with both passport and moustache. He was quoted as saying "I started arguing with him and only after asking to speak to his superior officer he returned my passport and allowed me to proceed."
• The newspaper spoke to someone at the Sharjah Department of Naturalisation and Foreign Affairs, and reported that Brigadier Dr Abdullah Bin Sahoo, Director-General of the department, said they will study CCTV images to check whether the passenger's allegations are correct and will then take action.
• Outcome unknown so far, and also still unknown if moustache imports to Sharjah or the UAE really are banned or not.
• Given that several long-haired young men were reportedly detained by Sharjah Police for a haircut in August 2010, it seems not entirely implausible that a moustache rule has come into effect. And a sort of precendent was set at another airport many years ago - when Singapore Airport immigration or customs gave free haircuts (compulsory) to long-haired male travellers, however this rule is no longer in effect as far as we know.
• Until Sharjah Airport clears up the current situation, it might be advisable for moustached travellers to keep a razor handy when going through immigration. Unknown if rule applies to or might be extended to beards or female travellers with hairy legs.
• Or get an e-gate card and avoid similar headaches at immigration counters - as far as we know the e-gate card readers do not have moustache detectors installed.

It seems unlikely that the Gulf News would make up such an odd sounding story, and also unlikely that a newspaper as reputable as the Gulf News would publish such a story if they did not believe it in the first place. But we suppose it's possible that the traveller just made the whole thing up, it does sound rather peculiar to us.

List of Sharjah Airport crashes and accidents - history and timeline

• 21 Oct 2009 - Azza Air cargo plane operated by Sudan Air (Boeing 707-320C registration number ST-AKW) flight SD2241 crashed into the desert near Dubai shortly after take-off, killing all 6 crew members. Eye-witness reports said aircraft appeared to be overloaded. Blackboxes were either faulty or turned off according to November 2009 reports so cause undetermined. Azza Transport suspended from flying in UAE airspace by the GCAA shortly after accident pending results of investigation.
• 09 Jan 2009 - British Gulf International Airlines Antonov 12BP (registration S9-SAM) landing gear failed on takeoff causing moderate damage to the plane. No fatalities.
• 07 Nov 2004 - Lufthansa Boeing 747 (leased from Air Atlanta Cargo) cargo flight DLH8457 aborted takeoff and went off end of runway. Aircraft was written off, no fatalities (there were 4 crew, no passengers).
• 10 Feb 2004 - Kish Air Fokker-50 flight 7170 (registration EP-LCA) on a 'visa run' flight from Kish Island, Iran, crashed between Ajman and Sharjah on landing approach to Sharjah Airport, with 43 or 44 out of 46 passengers and crew killed, and the other 2 or 3 taken to hospital with serious injuries.
• 15 Dec 1997 - Tajikistan Airlines Tupolev 154B-1 (registration number EY-85281) flight from Khoujand in Tajikistan to Sharjah crashed on landing approach killing 6 crew and 79 passengers, with one crew member surviving the crash.
• 10 Jul 1960 - Gulf Aviation Douglas C-47-CL (registration VT-DGS) from Doha, Qatar, disappeared after radio contact on approach to Sharjah airport. No wreckage was found. Three crew and 13 passengers died (presumably).

Sharjah Airport key personnel

• Chairman of Sharjah Airport Authority: Ali Salim Al Midfa (checked Jul 2017).
• Director General of the Sharjah International Airport Authority (SIAA): Dr Ghanem Al Hagiri (last checked 24 Jan 2011).

Sharjah Airport contact number and details

Last update Thursday 20-Jul-2017. Page development 1H 2T 3D 4L 5C.

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