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Ministry reports an overall decrease in airport passengers

A total of 12 of the country's 18 commercial airports saw decreases in passenger volume over the first three quarters of last year compared with a year earlier, a Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) official said.

The official with the MOTC's Civil Aeronautics Administration said on Wednesday that among the 12 airports reporting a decline in the number of passengers, Taipei Songshan Airport in Taipei City lost the greatest number, with more than 1 million passengers going elsewhere, closely followed by Kaohsiung International Airport, which saw 950,000 fewer passengers.

Hualien Airport in eastern Taiwan, and Tainan Airport and Chiayi Airport in southern Taiwan, all saw decreases in passenger volume of more than 100,000, the official said.

Only six of the 18 airports reported an increase in passenger volume during the same period.

Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport enjoyed the highest increase with an additional 560,000 passengers, followed by Taichung Airport in central Taiwan and Kinmen Airport in the offshore Kinmen County, both of which saw an increase of more than 10,000 passengers over the previous year.

The administration recently reviewed the performance of airports for civil use and pointed out factors affecting passenger volume, including the increasing competitiveness of nearby airports, influence of Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR), the remoteness of their locations, reconstruction, and increasing maintenance expenditures stemming from extended construction.

The official said that the THSR has caused decreases in passenger volumes at many airports in western Taiwan. Taichung Airport has been the only exception, thanks to its charter flight business, while Tainan Airport suffered most from the impact of the THSR.

Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Kaohsiung International Airport are the only two airports which turned profits, the official said.
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