SHJ-Spot1
Sharjah Intl. Airport – Spotting Guide
- last modified on October 20, 2026
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 a few operators like Singapore Cargo, UPS 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 but there are a few unique carries 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 change: October 2026, Spot 1 updated
| 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 – 30 arrivals and 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. |
| WHAT | For 12 departures: 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. For 30 arrivals: walk to the side, close to spot 2. |
| 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 | Keep a low profile and stow the camera away and sit in the grass. Do not wear a muscle shirt or shorts, otherwise security denies access. Shoulder a knees must be covered by law. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | XXX |
No sample pictures available for 12 departures
30 arrivals:
 |
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 | Keep a low profile and stow the camera away and sit in the grass. Do not wear a muscle shirt or shorts, otherwise security denies access. Shoulder a knees must be covered by law. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | B733 = 230mm / A320/B738 = 210mm / B763 = 130mm / B748 = 100mm |
 |
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 | Keep a low profile and stow the camera away and sit in the grass. Do not wear a muscle shirt or shorts, otherwise security denies access. Shoulder a knees must be covered by law. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | A320 = 150mm / A321/B738 = 135mm / B773 = 80mm |
if you ever see police nearby and your exposed just sit down on the grass, And hide your camera, as weird as it seems, It has worked for me many many times. (coming from experience)
I want to state something important: do not wear shorts. In Sharjah laws you cannot show knees or shoulders in public. The security will not let you enter the park
Thanks for the hint, left a note.
-Julian
Iwas actually talking about spot 1 (I was there). Spot 3 probably as well.
Can you provide some photos from there 🙂
Thanks, Julian
I will send it through the guide update
There is a spot located opposite of spot 3 and 2, just go over the bridge and take the second exit on the roundabout. It’s just an empty entrance and to the left is the end of the runway and directly straight is a private access road. Seems like a very nice spot but when I went there police turned on their lights from across the airport fence to signal to me to leave.
For new spots please use our contact form. But maybe not the best option when you were send away immediatly.
-Julian
For spot #4 (Sharjah Golf Club) there is a gate that might be closed sometimes. I drove past once and it was indeed closed so it is worth mentioning it may not always be accessible 🙂
In this case maybe it is possibe to stay outside on the dirt road that runs parallel to the main road?
-Julian
I suppose that’s an alternative, so long as you’re careful 😉
Thanks for sharing such a great blog, Glad to see this such a wonderful blog. Also tell me how to subscribe your webpage as I don’t miss any other blog from you.
whats up with that air India a320
Thats because some of the Indian airports do not have the best infrastructure and pavement. So the weight can be shared onto 4 wheels instead of w wheels only. That allows Air India to operate at these airport even with bigger planes.
Below is taken from an article about. If you need to know more simply use google:
„Obviously, the aircraft gear serves a critical role. The A320 is not the heaviest aircraft in the world, but it does still carry substantial weight. During landing, taxi, or takeoff, this can cause stress on the runway pavement. As it turns out, some of India’s pavements have a lower classification number. The classification number gives details relating to the strength of the pavement and the amount of weight it can handle. Due to this lower classification number, the load of the aircraft has to be distributed across multiple wheels. Thus, some of Air India’s A320s have an additional set of wheels.“
Unfortunately the ramp tour is not available anymore
The photographer’s ramp pass is still available – I did it in November 2016. However, the price is now an astronomical 1,500AED.