Sharjah International Airport is to get a new terminal at a cost of Dh1.3 billion ($354 million), a report said.

The high growth in passenger numbers has forced the airport management to plan for a new facility to cope with the demand, Ali Salem Al Midfa, director of Sharjah Airport Authority, was quoted as saying in the Gulf News.

'Our infrastructure is designed to handle around 8.5 million passengers and we will reach that soon,' he said.

Passenger traffic at the present terminal has been projected to go up by 8-10 per cent.

In 2006, 3.4 million passengers used the airport and the number rose to 4.5 million in 2007. 'We are expecting to reach 5.5 million at the end of this year,' Al Midfa added.