Mon, Jun 26, 2000 page17

• CKS airport expanding its capacity for cargo parking

  KEEPING PACE Local and international business groups say that a delay in the apron's construction may affect Taiwan's global competitiveness

  • STAFF WRITER AND CNA
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  Construction of a new parking apron for cargo planes at Chiang Kai Shek International Airport will be completed by February 2003, and will help keep handling capacity abreast of fast-growing air freight volume, according to civil aviation officials.

  Lee Mao-hsiung (李茂雄), director of the Civil Aviation Administration's development department, said over the weekend that the final planning stage of the new apron would begin in July and negotiations over the yet-to-be-determined cost of the project would be completed by the end of August.

  Originally, completion of the apron had been scheduled for June 2002, but due to delays in the initial evaluation of the project, that date was pushed back eight months to February 2003, Lee said.

  One reason for the delay was the CAA's concern that the apron's location at the northern end of CKS's North 23R runway might interfere with the ability of flight controllers to direct air traffic.

  According to Lee Jian-kuo (李建國), head of the CAA's air traffic control department, the CAA approached the University of Ohio to evaluate whether the apron would pose such a problem.

  Researchers subsequently found the presence of parked aircraft near the tip of runway 23R would only slightly affect flight controller's ability to direct aircraft on the northern approaches to the airport, assuring the CAA that the level of interference fell within acceptable limits, Lee said.

  Deputy director of CKS Hou Jian-kuo (候建文) said that while CKS was capable of handling the current volume of air freight, recent growth rates in capacity had made construction of additional parking facilities essential to cope with expected sharp rises in volume.

  The new apron will be able to accommodate 10 Boeing 747s simultaneously, ensuring that CKS would be able to handle future air freight requirements, he said. The current cargo apron at CKS accommodates 14 aircraft, according to information provided by CAA. Concerns over cargo capacity were raised recently at a US-ROC business council meeting, where executives from Federal Express and United Parcel Service said that the poor cargo capacity of CKS threatens the competitiveness of Taiwan's high-tech industry, which requires speedy delivery of computer components to second-stage manufacturing lines.

  These concerns were echoed by members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei, who said that the delay in completing construction of Terminal Two at CKS could affect the competitiveness not only of local companies but also foreign companies operating out of the airport.

  One senior US-ROC Business Council member advised the government to make the matter a "national priority." The report on the terminal's construction came in response to concerns aired by DPP lawmaker Wang Tuoh (王拓), who said he hoped the cargo terminal's construction did not end up like that of Terminal Two at CKS.

  "The plan to build a number two terminal at CKS was drawn up 20 years ago and has still not been completed," Wang said. "I certainly hope that construction of the cargo terminal -- which is already 8 months behind schedule -- does not suffer the same fate," Wang said.

  For your information

  Facts and figures

  * The new apron will be able to accommodate 10 Boeing 747s simultaneously * Officials say the project, which doesn't yet have an estimated price tag, will be completed by February 2003 * The current cargo apron at CKS accommodates 14 aircraft
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