Travelling to the United Arab Emirates can be such an amazing and thrilling experience. If you're looking for a rather conservative city in the United Arab Emirates, Sharjah is your destination. It's a city with a lot of historic sites, which can educate you so much about the Emirati culture. In order for you to plan your trip around the amazing city of Sharjah, here is a complete guide to help you get around the Sharjah airport.
Picture Credit - www.sharjahairport.ae
The Sharjah airport is located 13km southeast of Sharjah, and its capacity is spread over 3800 acres. The Sharjah airport is the third largest Middle East airfreight hub in cargo tonnage. The current Sharjah airport was built around the 1970s and was officially opened on 1 January 1977, replacing the former airport built for the city.
The former airport's runway is now part of King Abdul Aziz Street in the city centre of Sharjah. The Sharjah airport serves as the central hub for all of Air Arabia's administration since 2003, making it an important operations location in the United Arab Emirates.
Address: Sharjah International Airport P.O.Box 8 Sharjah, UAE
Tel.: +971 6 5581111
Website: https://www.sharjahairport.ae/en/
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Being an Islamic city, Sharjah makes it easy for a Muslim traveller to find a prayer location in its airport. Prayer locations can be found on the Main Passenger terminal transit area and the departure area in the ground floor, with female and male prayer areas provided separately for the convenience of the Muslim travellers to offer their prayers in peace.
Furthermore, there are also mosques located in both the East and West Cargo Terminals 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Picture Credit - instagram.com/sharjahairport
Travelling with a child can be a tedious task to manage, but in Sharjah Airport, there are convenient, dedicated play areas under the watchful supervision of the airport staff, which will enable you to leave your kids and keep them occupied while you relax, unwind, and pray or shop at the duty free section.
Picture Credit - instagram.com/sharjahairport
There are a variety of dining options for you to choose from, and all the food is halal due to the country being an Islamic country! Therefore you needn't worry, you'll be able to munch on almost anything your heart desires.
Whether you are craving Indian, Chinese, Mediterranean or authentic Arab cuisine, you'll be able to find it at the Sharjah Airport for a reasonable price.
Some of the restaurants you can choose from are Cafe Med, Chinese House Restaurant, Chocolix, Costa Coffee and Dunkin Donuts. See the complete list here.
Picture Credit - instagram.com/sharjahairport
Finding transport to and from the Sharjah International Airport is no hard task at all, you can either choose to rent a car for your stay at Sharjah, cab, or even use the public transport, as you like.
If you are keen on renting a car to get you out and about in the beautiful city of Sharjah, you'll easily be able to rent yourself a car within the airport premises. You'll be able to choose from a range of cars according to your budget and requirements, ranging from economical vehicles to luxury vehicles such as limousines. Simply drop by one of the service stations and they'll kindly guide you through the available options for you to choose from, and this service is provided in the airport for 24 hours at your convenience. Below is a list of car rental services present at the Sharjah International Airport.
• Auto Lease
• Avis
• Budget
• Dollar
• Europcar
• Fast UAE
• Hertz
• Maximum Rent a Car
• Sayara
• Sixt
• Thrifty.
If you prefer taking taxis as a mean of transport, you'll be able to do so with ease. All taxis are fitted with meters to avoid any inconvenience or fraud in payment. Make sure that you have United Arab Emirates Dinars to make your payments, since charges are only accepted in local currency. For more information regarding the taxi services in the country, please contact 600525252.
If you're keen on using public transport to make your trip extra thrilling, you can travel in air-conditioned coaches not only towards Sharjah, but to other cities of the United Arab Emirates as well. The public coaches are a rather economical option for your travel, but it's very comfortable and reliable as well. Note that buses leave every 15 minutes.
Mowasalat, which is a renowned transport provider in the country, also provides a comfortable, air-conditioned transport service to its customers. The coaches leave in 15 minute intervals, and you would not only be able to travel around Sharjah, but to other cities of the country as well. To find more information about the routes and timings please visit www.mowasalat.ae/route15.php
If you're an Air Arabia customer, you'll be able to use the coach service provided by them to get you all set for your stay in the city. For further information please visit the website www.airarabia.com/en/coach-services
Picture Credit - instagram.com/sharjahairport
A large number of ATMs are located throughout the airport in convenient locations for cash withdrawals and other banking transactions. Simply follow the airport map or stop at an information desk, and you'll be guided to the nearest ATM in order for you to complete your transactions.
Picture Credit - Adapted from www.sharjahairport.ae
In terms of Foreign Exchange services, it is located in the arrivals, departure and transit areas for your convenience. Here is a list of the exchange centers and their locations at the airport.
UAE EXCHANGE – located in the departure dome
AL-CHURAIR EXCHANGE - located in the departure dome
SALIM EXCHANGE – located in both departure and arrival areas
TRAVELEX – located in the departure dome and “M“ floor
Picture Credit - instagram.com/sharjahairport
At any point if you require medical attention in the airport facility you need not be concerned since the Sharjah Airport is well equipped with an on-site medical clinic, situated in the Main Dome of the airport for any passenger or visitor who requires medical attention at the airport. The clinic is well equipped and consists of friendly and well-trained staff who will care for your medical and health needs.
Apart from the clinic, Pharma vending machines are located at the Departure and Arrival areas for any minor medical needs that require tending to.
Picture Credit - facebook.com/SharjahAirport
In case of emergencies, Sharjah aiport has numerous telephones located throughout the airport facility in order for you to get in touch with the ones you love. Local calls to Sharjah are free, whereas credit card and cash telephones are also available at the airport for international calls. Follow the airport map or ask for assistance in locating your nearest telephone for any communication purposes.
Apart from telephone facilities, the airport also provides email and internet browsing facilities to the passengers and visitors.
Picture Credit - facebook.com/SharjahAirport
No proper trip is complete without a bit of shopping, and the Sharjah duty free helps you choose among the well-known brands of perfumes, electronics, fashion, handicrafts, cosmetics, sweets, etc. for great deals and prices.
The duty free of the Sharjah airport is managed by Dufry sharjah which is a renowned global travel retailer which operates in over 1100 duty-free and duty-paid shops at airports, cruise ships, railway stations and various locations.
So it is without a doubt that you'll skip away those long hours in transit, or else you can start or end your journey having a great shopping extravaganza at the Sharjah International Airport.
Picture Credit - instagram.com/sharjahairport
In case you want to simply unwind after a long flight, you'll be able to do so at the Transit Hotel located within the airport premises. It consists of private rooms and sharing rooms, all equipped with a mini bar, hair dryer and satellite television facilities, and they provide laundry services, money exchange services, doctors on call, etc. For more information regarding the terms and conditions, prices and necessary documentation, please visit the airport facilities page, or drop them an email at [email protected]
