After the flooding at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport earlier this month, the Taichung City Government proposed to the Executive Yuan that Taichung Airport be upgraded to an international airport, and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications promised to expand the airport’s operation capacity.
In addition, the Kaohsiung City Government proposed rerouting some of the flights from Taoyuan airport to Kaohsiung International Airport and the Taoyuan City Government proposed the incorporation of the Taoyuan Airport Mass Rapid Transit System with the Taoyuan Aerotropolis development project.
Premier Lin Chuan (林全), careful not to offend any of the mayors, simply said he would look into each proposal.
How many international airports does Taiwan really need?
If, from the very beginning, the government had made Taoyuan airport the main international airport and Kaohsiung airport the secondary one, it would have been the most ideal situation for Taiwan’s international aeronautical services. Unfortunately, as the Democratic Progressive Party and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) had their own separate plans for Taoyuan airport, no plan has been followed through to completion, causing the airport to gradually lose its competitive edge.
Considering Taiwan’s aeronautical service requirements over the next 30 years, the service quality offered by other international airports in the region, and that it is difficult to accurately predict how many Chinese passengers the airport will handle, the government’s decision to invest NT$600 billion (US$18.6 billion) in the Taoyuan Aerotropolis project is rather risky.
Moreover, the plan to build a third and fourth terminal and a third runway at the airport needs to be assessed with more caution. Given that the government is strapped for cash, it would be better to keep Taoyuan airport at its current size and look carefully at the expansion plan for Taichung Airport — and Kaohsiung International Airport’s plan to host more flights — before making any further decisions.
With demand higher than supply, if Taoyuan airport wishes to keep its current scale of operations, it must move some of its flights to other airports and enhance the operation efficiency of its runways and terminals. Taichung and Kaohsiung airports can host some of the flights handled by Taoyuan airport, and a good model would be the way in which many low-cost airlines fly from secondary airports in other nations. Taichung has excellent resources for tourists and would be an ideal place to host low-cost airlines.
Passengers using low-cost airlines are primarily tourists. Making Taichung the main portal for low-cost airlines would make planning travel routes more convenient for them. To raise the airport’s appeal to tourists, the government could lower its airport charges.
However, several things are key to expanding Taichung Airport, such as the Ministry of National Defense’s willingness to cooperate, the airport’s aeronautical facilities, and the time needed for constructing a new terminal and improving transportation to and from the airport.
Last year, Kaohsiung International Airport handled 4.86 million passengers, despite the airport’s capacity of 6.09 million passengers. This suggests that the airport can handle many more passengers. The government must decide whether to move some of Taoyuan airport’s flights to Kaohsiung based on solid research rather than wishful thinking: It should ascertain whether there is demand for such a service in Kaohsiung and if airline companies would be interested in moving their flights there. Southeast Asian flight routes would especially benefit from being based in Kaohsiung as it would make traveling to these nations cheaper and faster.
Kaohsiung International Airport is served by the Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit system. The airport also has better aeronautical facilities than Taoyuan airport. Given enough incentives, airline companies would be willing to cooperate with the government to help alleviate the operational burden on Taoyuan airport.
Taiwan’s aeronautical development and allocation of related infrastructural resources should be planned based on a comprehensive analysis that includes assessments of cost effectiveness, various risks and regional as well as national development, rather than leaving it to the heads of local governments to decide.
Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) could be the main airport for business travelers to China and Northeast Asia, Taoyuan airport could be responsible for most major international routes and Taichung Airport could serve as the main portal for low-cost airlines. Meanwhile, Kaohsiung International Airport could focus on Southeast Asian routes, while also hosting several other international routes.
This way, the four cities form a collaborative network, contributing to the overall development of the nation, while also advancing the strength of their own airports. For this reason — and to avoid using the nation’s limited land resources to build unnecessary infrastructure — this is the best plan for Taiwan’s aeronautical development.
Lee Ker-tsung is an associate professor in Feng Chia University’s transportation technology and management department.
Translated by Tu Yu-an
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