Page 263 - SHARJAH AIRPORT PR REPORT - FEBRUARY 2024

2/21/24, 10:49 AM Middle East airports expanding in a fast-forward mode to handle zooming passenger numbers
leading exhibition and convention venue, will have more than 150 exhibitors from more than 20
countries and 7,500 visitors from over 30 countries attending. The Airport Show will have co-located
events - ATC Forum, Airport Security Middle East, and the 11th edition of the Global Airport Leaders
Forum (GALF).

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority,
Chairman of Dubai Airports, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, and
Patron of Airport Show said: “The business event will provide the industry professionals from Middle
East, South Asia, and Africa region, the opportunity to see innovations in airport sustainability,
digitalization, and urban air mobility.”
He added: “Airport Show will remain the best venue to select and source the cutting-edge
technologies and newest innovative products to better the airport operations.”
Organized by RX, part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools
that organizes about 400 events in 22 countries across 42 industry sectors, the show is supported by
prominent players in the aviation industry, including the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA), Dubai
Airports, Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects (DAEP), and dnata.

Remarked May Ismail, Event Manager at RX: “The airport industry will be back to full business when
we meet in 2024. The pace of growth and expansion that was halted is back at a phenomenal rate.
The projects that took off again clearly suggest there is no end to expansion and growth. What had
been put on the back burner is now in the front.”
According to a CAPA report, 425 major construction projects were on at existing airports worldwide,
with US$450 billion in investments. There were 225 new airport projects and more than 70 percent of
the investment was in Asia Pacific. There were 1074 airport investors, of which 258 were airport
operators, groups or consortiums. About 68 percent of all projects were based on terminals, either
expansions or new developments. A report has disclosed that the global airport construction market
grew to US$1.14 trillion in 2023, and would reach US$1.8 trillion by 2030.
Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest airport for international travelers continuously for nine
years, is also building up the capacity and facilities to make the hub more impressive. Now serving
250 destinations in 104 countries through 95 airlines, DXB has mega expansion plans that will entail
investments of up to US$2. 7 billion. The enhancements in capacity and service levels over the
coming 10 years have been necessitated as its home base carriers ordered another 120 aircraft - 90
Boeing-777s for Emirates and 30 Boeing-787s for flydubai.
Sharjah, home to the Arabian Gulf’s first airport, has started work on an AED1.2 billion (US$327
million) terminal expansion that will increase the airport’s capacity to 20 million passengers a year.
The expansion project will separate the arrivals from departures areas and enhance its systems and
amenities. It is the largest phase of expansion work being undertaken at a total cost of AED2.4 billion
and is expected to be completed in 2027. Improvements will include additional self-check-in kiosks,
electronic boarding gates, a spacious waiting zone, dining facilities, and a transit passenger hotel.
Sharjah Airport, home of the MENA region’s largest LCC Air Arabia, added six new passenger
destinations and three air cargo routes in 2023. The airport handled about 13.1 million passengers in
2022 and will be able to handle up to 25 million passengers by 2026.
A plan is underway to transform King Abdelaziz International Airport (KAIA) in Saudi Arabia into one
of the world’s largest airports with an SR115 billion expansion plan that will increase its capacity to
114 million passengers a year. The largest components of the plan cover the design and expansion
of Terminal 1 and the construction of a new passenger terminal to be called Terminal 2. The
expected completion date for the expansion project is 2031.
A new Hajj and Umrah terminal at the airport in Jeddah will handle 15 million passengers a year and
is expected to be completed by 2025. The airport aims to accommodate up to 120 million
passengers by 2030 and 185 million by 2050. For cargo, the goal is to process 3.5 million tons a
year.
Another major airport is planned for Neom, close to the Tabuk end of the 170-kilometre-long Line
development. Neom International Airport’s first phase will have the capacity to handle 25 million
passengers a year. A second phase could take the capacity up to 50 million passengers a year.
There is an aspiration for the airport to become the largest in the world, with a capacity of 100 million
passengers a year. Abha International Airport will undergo a makeover that will see its terminal grow
from 113,000 square feet to 700,000 square feet.
The existing airport can handle 1.5 million passengers annually. The new one will be capable of
handling 13 million by the time the first phase of the development is completed in 2028. The
expansion will include the construction of passenger jetways, self-service facilities for passenger
check-in and baggage handling, and high-capacity parking facilities. Saudi Arabia is building in
Riyadh one of the world’s largest airports which will have six parallel runways. The airport will help

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