It has been reported that there are plans afoot to build an airport serving southern Taiwan in Chiku. Given the Civil Aviation Operation Fund's reduced financial resources, any plans for the construction of new airports should be carefully evaluated.
First, all efforts should be focused on expediting the current construction work at the CKS International Airport. We must face up to the intense competition in international air transportation and accept that this country is only one destination in inter-continental aviation. The most economical and efficient solution should be to have one international airport providing international air-transportation services.
Furthermore, if the CKS landing area were to be divided into three individual runways, it would have sufficient capacity to handle the nation's overall international air transportation needs until 2021.
I would suggest that a master plan be drawn up for the airport's future development. This should involve the periodic expansion of passenger and cargo transportation ramps and terminal, and improvements to airport capacity and operational efficiency to enable the facility to continue to adapt to air transportation developments.
As far as the construction of an international airport in the center or the south is concerned, most of the flights serving these areas would be those re-routed from CKS -- not additional flights added on the airlines' existing schedules. Construction of such an airport would affect the goal of making CKS an Asia-Pacific air-transportation center. Considering both the overall use of limited national resources and civil air-transportation requirements, it is not advisable to rush into building a new international airport and any such proposal must be considered carefully.
Second, plans should be drawn up to improve the Kaohsiung International Airport. It would be advisable to maintain a supporting international airport in addition to CKS. It would be appropriate to give Kaohsiung that supporting role and serving Southeast Asia routes. Since Kaohsiung's potential is more limited, a main development plan should first be drawn up to make gradual improvements and increase operational efficiency based on the land area currently used by the airport.
I would urge that a plan for rebuilding Kaohsiung's domestic terminal be implemented quickly, that it be integrated with the international terminal, that the passenger and cargo transportation ramps be expanded, that taxiways be added and runways extended so that Boeing 747's can land and take off.
Third, the coordination of air transportation operations with global plans should be improved. The quality of space and warehouse facilities at the cargo terminals of both international airports is poor. The expansion of the cargo transportation facilities at the CKS and Kaohsiung airports should be accelerated and an air cargo transportation park should be developed in order, to expand air-transport operations space and capacity so that the transportation needs of all science parks can be met.
In addition, the development of an air-transportation park should be aimed at either providing a value added area for special activities offering speed, flexibility and a global reach, or a free trade harbor area in the hope that it may supersede the established special economic zones in Hong Kong and Singapore.
Fourth, a domestic air network focused on CKS should be established. This should match the overall development requirements of domestic air transportation and diminish the need for an international airport in the center or south.
I would suggest that the CKS temporary domestic terminal provide domestic air services in the short term, and negotiate with customs and airport police in order to provide complete complementary re-routing measures.
In the mid-term, part of the space in Terminal One should be adapted for domestic air service use. This would diminish the pressure from various counties and cities to build international airports.
Finally, the construction of a mass rapid transit system connecting CKS, Kaohsiung and Sungshan airports should be expedited. In support of the policy to develop an Asia-Pacific air-transportation center, the quality and capacity of terrestrial transportation links to CKS should be improved.
The construction of a rapid transit system connecting CKS with Taipei City must no longer be delayed. In addition, a mass rapid transit system or a branch of the High-Speed Railway should be constructed between CKS and the High-Speed Railway's Chingpu station in line with the High-Speed Railway timetable to improve services to international travelers from central and southern Taiwan.
The country's small physical area and limited air space dictate that any new airports should meet certain social and economic conditions and needs. If investments are not to be squandered and if the effects of transportation competition are to be taken properly into account, the government must adopt an entirely professional approach and evaluate the need for an international airport in the center or south with the utmost caution.
Chang Yu-hern is a professor in the department of transportation and communication management science at National Cheng Kung University.
Translated by Perry Svensson
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