A total of 8.61 million passengers passed through Sharjah International Airport (SIA) during the first nine months of 2017, marking an increase of 3.29 per cent as compared to the 8.33 million passengers recorded during the first half of 2016, said a report.

The airport handled 3.118 million passengers in the third quarter of 2017, a 4.08 per cent increase compared with the 2.996 million passengers reported during the third quarter of 2016, said a report in WAM.

Aircraft moving through Sharjah International Airport increased to 21.02 thousand in the third quarter of 2017, a 3.26 per cent increase compared with 20.36 thousand recorded during the same period in 2016.

The total volume of cargo handled through the airport during the third quarter of the year exceeded 40.66 thousand tonnes, including 19.92 import tonnes, 14.58 export tonnes and 6.15 transit cargo tonnes. The total volume of sea-air cargo during the period from July to the end of September was 2.24 tonnes.

Sheikh Faisal bin Saoud Al Qassimi, director of Sharjah Airport Authority, said: "The growth in the number of passengers is due to the great position of the emirate of Sharjah as a strategic economic, business and tourist hub in the region, and to the excellent services provided by the airport to aircraft and the expansion in their destinations."

He added that more services and benefits will be provided to customers to ensure the airport will continue to be a leader in its field and enhance passenger loyalty and satisfaction, the report said.