Yes, Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) has designated indoor smoking rooms after security, distributed through the departures and gate areas of its single terminal. The rooms are enclosed, ventilated, and air-conditioned; the airside First Class Lounge is also reported to keep its own smoking area for guests, and you can step outside the terminal landside for a cigarette before check-in.
Sharjah is the home hub of low-cost carrier Air Arabia and a popular budget gateway near Dubai, about 30 minutes from the city centre. Sharjah emirate is the UAE’s most conservative on public decency and has no alcohol licensing, so keep smoking strictly to the marked rooms; the airport provides those rooms in line with the same UAE federal smoking rules that apply at Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
التدخين في مطار الشارقة الدولي - SHJ
Airport Layout
Sharjah runs from a single terminal that handles all international traffic under one roof. It is compact and quick to cross compared with the sprawling Dubai International, and Air Arabia dominates the board with flights across the Gulf, the Levant, Central Asia and the CIS, East Africa, and — heavily — the Indian subcontinent. The airport handles roughly 16 million passengers a year, so peak banks can feel crowded despite the small footprint.
Smoking Rooms (After Security)
The designated smoking rooms are airside, spread through the departures and gate areas past the security checkpoint. They are enclosed, air-conditioned, and mechanically ventilated. Because the terminal is small, any room is a short walk from most gates — follow the signage or ask at an information desk for the nearest one. As all the rooms sit inside the secure zone, you can smoke during a layover without clearing passport control or re-screening. The airport’s rule is firm: smoking is only permitted in these designated rooms, and lighting up anywhere else in the terminal draws a fine.
Lounge Smoking
The airside First Class Lounge (first level) is reported by several lounge directories to include a designated smoking area among its facilities — useful if you have Priority Pass or pay-at-the-door access and want to smoke without walking back to a public room. The separate Business Class Lounge does not list a smoking area. Lounge amenities change without notice, so confirm at the desk when you check in.
Outdoor Smoking (Landside)
Before security, you can smoke outside the terminal building in the open air, away from the entrances. This is the only option if you have not yet checked in or have already cleared arrivals — there are no smoking rooms in the public landside hall.
Transit and Air Arabia Connections
Air Arabia is a point-to-point low-cost carrier, so many “connections” through Sharjah are self-transfers rather than through-checked itineraries. If your bags and boarding pass carry through and you stay airside, the departures smoking rooms are available for the whole layover. If you have to collect bags, exit, and re-check in for a separate ticket, you will pass back through the landside hall — smoke outside the terminal before you re-clear security, as there are no landside indoor rooms. Give yourself extra time at busy South Asia and CIS banks, when queues at security and passport control run long.
Summary
| Area | Smoking Allowed | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Departures / gates (after security) | Yes | Indoor rooms | Enclosed, ventilated, air-conditioned |
| First Class Lounge (airside) | Yes | Indoor area | Reported; confirm at the desk |
| Outside terminal (landside) | Yes | Outdoor | Away from entrances, before check-in |
| General terminal, gates, check-in hall | No | — | Fined under UAE federal law |
Compared with the much larger Dubai International (DXB) nearby, SHJ has fewer rooms but a shorter walk to reach them.
For UAE airport smoking rules, vaping rules, and other general info, see our UAE smoking guide.