The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) yesterday announced that it has appointed former MOTC deputy minister Tseng Dar-jen (曾大仁) as the new chairman of Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) due to his experience supervising public construction projects.
Taoyuan Metro Corp vice president Hsiao Ting-ko (蕭登科) is to become the new TIAC president, the ministry said.
Tseng and Hsiao, both retired MOTC officials, are to replace former TIAC chairman Samuel Lin (林鵬良) and former TIAC president David Fei (費鴻鈞), who stepped down over flooding that disrupted the operation of the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Thursday last week.
Their resignations were approved on Monday by Minister of Transportation and Communications Hochen Tan (賀陳旦).
The announcement also came one day after Hochen was questioned by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Cheng Yun-peng (鄭運鵬) at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee.
Cheng said that one of the problems with TIAC is that the company’s management positions are all held by retired MOTC officials.
Such officials formed an “MOTC clan” inside the company, which led to an internal power struggle within the firm, Cheng added.
The ministry said Tseng, 58, has a doctoral degree in civil engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, adding that he has both expertise and experience in overseeing major public constructions in Taiwan, including the Hsuehshan Tunnel on the Taipei-Yilan Freeway and the Wugu-Yangmei Overpass.
Tseng’s civil engineering and construction management background would help in facilitating the construction of the airport’s Terminal Three, the expansion project of Terminal Two and renovation of the airport’s taxiway as well as ensuring the quality of these projects, the ministry said.
Hsiao, 62, has a master’s degree in public affairs management from the National Sun Yat-Sen University, the ministry added.
Prior to his position at the Taoyuan Metro Corp, Hsiao was director at Kinmen Airport, Magong Airport, Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, it said.
With his extensive experience of managing the nation’s airports, Hsiao is entrusted with the task of enhancing the operational efficiency of the national gateway, the ministry said.
Tseng said his responsibility is to identify the risks and threats facing Taoyuan airport.
He said the airport would encounter different challenges in the face of extreme weather conditions, adding that it lacks a long-term sustainable management system.
Hsiao said the airport has improved since becoming a state-run corporation, but added that it has yet to fulfill public expectations in many ways. He said he would take into account all public expectations regarding the airport, as well and aim to have it operate more efficiently.
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