Page 703 - MOE ENGLISH PR REPORT - OCTOBER 2024

UAE: 98 million passengers pass through airports

during first 8 months of 2024

Did you know? October 5 is the anniversary of the first airplane landing in Sharjah in 1932
Published: Sat 5 Oct 2024, 10:02 PM

Updated: Sat 5 Oct 2024, 10:10 PM

Around 98 million passengers have passed through various UAE airports in the first eight months of
2024, the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) announced on Saturday.

This significant milestone was announced on ‘UAE Civil Aviation Day’ celebrated in the country
every October 5.

This date commemorates the anniversary of the first airplane landing in Sharjah in 1932. At the
time, there was no UAE; Sharjah, like the other emirates, was part of the Trucial States. A British
Imperial Airways aircraft, known as ‘Hanno,’ landed on October 5, 1932 on the runway in Al
Mahatta, which is now part of the Al Qasimia area of Sharjah. This marked the establishment of
the first airport in the Arabian region at that time.

GCC's first airport in the 1930s now converted into Al Mahatta museum

https://www.khaleejtimes.com/business/aviation/uae-airports-passenger-traffic-reach-98-million-
for-first-8-months-of-2024