Sharjah International Airport (SHJ)found its place on the world aviationmap in 1932 when ImperialAirways – the forerunners of BritishAirways – first constructed an airfieldas a stopover en route to India and Australia.At that time, Sharjah ranked as oneof its most remote outposts, as well asbeing the first airport in the United ArabEmirates. Times have certainly changed.

Today, business at SHJ is bustling, despite a worldwide economic slowdown. In the first three-quarters of 2009, some 4.24 million passengers passed through SHJ, up eight per cent, and cargo volumes reached 373,745 tonnes, an increase of 35,646 tonnes over the same period 2008. Flights rose to a record 45,022 from 44,086 in 2008.

The sea-air connection
One of SHJ’s claims to fame is its status as the world’s second largest sea-air cargo airport after Seattle. A major benefit, Sharjah is strategically located between Europe and the Far East. Furthermore, during these times when shippers are scrutinising costs, sea-air offers an optimum balance between cost and time and is being increasingly used by cargo agents and freight forwarders.

According to SHJ officials, for example, cargo routed by sea-air from Tokyo to Frankfurt via Sharjah saves up to 40 per cent of the cost of pure air-freight, while slashing a third of the time taken by ship-only mode.

SHJ reports that cargo can be turned around from surrounding seaports and flown out of Sharjah in about six hours. By comparison, at neighboring Dubai International Airport, sea-air connections take place in 16 to 24 hours. However, officials in Dubai claim seato- air transfers will be possible in four hours once its new airport, DWC-Al Maktoum International Airport, opens later this year .

Key Middle East hub
A number of cargo carriers are committed to SHJ. Lufthansa Cargo AG operates its largest cargo hub outside of Germany from Sharjah. Currently, the carrier is realising approximately 3,000 tonnes per month through SHJ. Transit cargo is doubled counted.

“Sharjah offers quick handling times, and our partnership is characterised by very good cooperation with the authorities,” comments Michael Göntgens,Lufthansa Cargo AG spokesman. “SHJ also offers benefits from a cost perspective.” Göntgens reveals that Lufthansa flies 60 long haul operations through SHJ every month. “AeroLogic has 35 long haul operations,” he adds.

Lufthansa Cargo and AeroLogic, a cargo carrier that is a joint subsidiary between Lufthansa and DHL, use Sharjah for transit to and from Germany to India or Hong Kong.

Other carriers offering scheduled service to Sharjah include Egypt Air Cargo, Etihad Airways, Indian Airlines, Martinair, and Singapore Airlines Cargo. Non-scheduled cargo carriers include Atlas Air, Emirates, HeavyLift Cargo Airlines, Kalitta Air, Polet, and Volga- Dneper Cargo Airlines.

An indication of the important role SHJ plays in the region’s cargo traffic, last year, Singapore Airlines Cargo (SIA Cargo) and its general sales agent (GSA), SNTTA Cargo, opened a dedicated cargo office at SHJ’s Sharjah Airport Freight Center.

“We shifted all our UAE freighter services to Sharjah as part of a plan to build a strong regional cargo hub,” remarked Lee Kong Yang, regional vice president, West Asia and Africa, SIA, in a press release that announced the office. “Through this new office, we can strengthen our regional presence through dedicated staff capable of responding to all situations from close quarters.”

When announcing the office, SIA Cargo reported it operated 84 freighter flights a month from SHJ. These flights link the cargo carrier to many major destinations in Europe, Africa, India, Far East, Australia, New Zealand, North and South America.

Given the support SIA Cargo receives from SNTTA, the cargo carrier expects Sharjah will prove itself as one of SIA Cargo’s most important network points in the Middle East, along with Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

“The office of SNTTA Cargo and Singapore Airlines at Sharjah Airport Freight Center is part of our long term strategy to invest in infrastructure to provide all-round support to Singapore Airlines Cargo in developing this hub,” says Mohin Jassal, general manager, SNTTA Cargo. “The demand for cargo services in Sharjah and Northern Emirates is growing, and this growth is driven by rising population and new development in the region.”

SIA Cargo also regards SHJ as a strategic location for transit cargoes. Last year, SIA Cargo introduced a weekly westbound B744 freighter service to the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka with a routing being Singapore-Dhaka-Sharjah- Brussels.

“For our long-haul routes between Asia and Europe, Sharjah is a strategic stopover point,” Lee says. “We also seek to grow our Africa routes, as Africa has proven to be more resilient in the face of current economic crisis than the traditional airfreight markets.”

Additionally, air cargo carriers see proximity to Sharjah Airport International Free Zone (SAIF-Zone) as another major advantage of having a cargo hub at SHJ. SAIF-Zone is accessible to both the Indian Ocean seaport of Port Khor Fakkan and the Arabian Gulf port of Port Khalid. It is also is built adjacent to SHJ.

Of course, SHJ officials are not resting on their laurels. Last November the Sharjah Airport Authority announced plans to award contracts for a second runway at SHJ. The new runway is planned to be Category 3 and 4,000 meters long.