Cargo and passenger volume at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in the first quarter of this year registered the largest growth in the Asia-Pacific, signaling that economic recovery in Taiwan is stronger than elsewhere in the region, a senior official said yesterday.
Passenger volume at the airport reached 5.55 million in the first quarter, a 22.9 percent increase over the same period last year, the highest in the region, Minister of Transportation and Communications Mao Chih-kuo (毛治國) said, citing figures compiled by Airports Council International.
Meanwhile, the airport handled 410,000 tonnes of cargo during the same period, representing 71 percent year-on-year growth and surpassing the 63.1 percent recorded by Shanghai Pudong International Airport, according to the statistics.
“Taiwan’s economy is rebounding,” Mao said.
He also predicted that passenger volume at the airport would hit a record high of 24 million this year, while cargo volume could break 1.6 million tonnes.
The volume of container and cargo traffic handled at Kaohsiung Harbor, Taiwan’s largest commercial seaport, also posted 13 percent year-on-year growth over the first four months of this year, the Harbor Bureau said.
Civil Aeronautics Administration data show that total passenger volume at Taiwan’s international airports totaled 6.5 million, marking a 22.61 percent increase over the same period last year.
The number of airline passengers traveling between Taiwan and China during the period totaled 967,000 or 152 percent year-on-year growth, the figures show.
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