SHJ is not the biggest airport and the traffic is limited compared to the big brother Dubai, who is just a few of kilometres away. But there are a couple of unique airlines, especially cargo operators, who serve the airport and with only one active runway, its almost impossible to miss the flights.

Sharjah is located just 10 miles eastwards of Dubai and is known for its wide variety of different cargo operators. But the times have changed within the past years and the traffic has shrunken. But there are still plenty of operators like Singapore Cargo, UPS, Moalem Aviation and less known airlines. Sadly most traffic takes place during the night, but during the day you will be able to catch one of the mentioned operators too.

On the other side, Air Arabia is the main passenger carrier at SHJ and is responsible for ~80 percent of the traffic. Some others companies like FlyEgypt, Jordan Aviation, PIA, Air India Express, Air India, AirBlue, Indigo, Tarco Aviation, SereneAir, Qatar Airways, Belavia, Uzbekistan, ChamWings, SyrianAir etc. are using the facilities too. On the airport website, you will find the passenger and cargo arrivals/departures.

Written by Daniel Beliso, Jan Seba, Jeremy Denton, Julian Mittnacht. Last update: November 2024.

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
12/30	4.063 m (13.320 ft)
Terminals	One for all flights
Spotting Information
Ladder	Not needed.
Car/Public Transport	Recommended or by taxi as it’s cheaper.
Restrooms	Very close to all spots.
Drinks/Food	Very close to all spots.
Hotels	The Centro Sharjah Hotel is located next to the terminal and the only one.
Season	We suggest November until March. Its just too hot in the summer. More charter traffic at the weekend
Security	Spotting in Sharjah is much more tolerated than in Dubai but keep a low profile anyway at any of the spots outside of the park.
Runway Usage
12/30	30 is the main direction for take offs and arrivals

	Spot #1 – National Park – 12 departures
WHERE	Its pretty easy to find. Just follow the sings from Sharjah to the airport on the E88. Pass the airport and the Car Museum until you see the park on the right hand side. Exit the State Road and park your car next to the entrance. You have to pay a small entrance fee of 2 AED (0.5 USD) but you can enter and exit the park as often as you want at this day. After you have entered the park, you will see a big hill on the right side. Just climb up and you have reached the spot.
WHAT	As the new runway is further away it is no longer possible to see arrivals on 30. We recommend the next spot! But the park should still work for 12 heavy departures.
TIME	Best light conditions in the winter are between 11 am and 6 pm.
MISC.	There is no sun protection on the top of the hill so be prepared! Restrooms are next to the entrance and a small snack bar (not open all the time) is just below the hill.
SECURITY	We had absolutely no problems with security or any other people during our visits. Still keep a low profile.
FOCAL LENGTH	XXX

No sample pictures available.

	Spot #2 – BOBA Tea – 30 Arrivals
WHERE	This is the main spot at SHJ. Follow the sings from Sharjah to the airport on the E88. Pass the airport and the Car Museum until you see the park on the right hand side. Exit the State Road and park your car next to the entrance and stay inside. This spot is an alternative when the park is closed or you don’t want to pay to go inside. This location is a very good suggested alternative.
WHAT	Only arrivals on rwy30 are possible. Stay on your car with the window open, read a book and listen to the music
TIME	Best light conditions in the winter are between 11 am and 6 pm.
MISC.	There is only the petrol station with some drinks and foods at spot 2. Otherwise nothing else.
SECURITY	We had absolutely no problems with security or any other people during our visits. Still keep a low profile.
FOCAL LENGTH	B733 = 230mm / A320/B738 = 210mm / B763 = 130mm / B748 = 100mm

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	Spot #3 – Sharjah Karting – Morning rwy 12 arrivals
WHERE	From Sharjah Airport on the highway E88 towards Sharjah city, exit at the sign “Souq Al Haraj for Cars”. At the roundabout take the first exit on the right and drive for a good 2/3 minutes on that road until you reach at the far end the roundabout  you’ll face the Karting club. Enter the parking and position yourself.
WHAT	Only arrivals on rwy12 are possible.
TIME	Morning spot until 09:30 latest depending on the month.
MISC.	There’s a petrol station indicated on the map at the “Cars Souq”, refer to the map.
SECURITY	We had absolutely no problems with security or any other people during our visits. Still keep a low profile.
FOCAL LENGTH	A320 = 150mm / A321/B738 = 135mm / B773 = 80mm

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