Sharjah International Airport saw a 23.1 per cent spike in passenger numbers during the second quarter of this year, on the back of new route capacity and a runway closure at Dubai International.

Several airlines switched operations to Sharjah International from May 1 to July 20, as refurbishment work was underway in Dubai’s airport, said the Gulf News report.

The airlines included Cebu Pacific, which had a small marketing initiative for the Sharjah-Manila flight with Air Arabia; Air India, Jet Airways and Pakistan International Airlines, it said.

Aircraft movements rose by 20.5 per cent during the period, while the amount of freight handled at the airport increased 11.24 per cent, said the report.

Meanwhile, the numbers at Sharjah International for the first half of the year were up 13.38 per cent, while aircraft movement increased 8.67 per cent and handled freight decreased 10.7 per cent, it added.