On May 30, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said that the government might shorten COVID-19 quarantine for all passengers arriving from abroad by adopting a “3+4” policy, under which they must undergo home isolation for three days, followed by self-health monitoring for four days.
This shows that Taiwan is gradually opening its borders. It is anticipated that passengers would be able to enter the country without quarantine on arrival from September, so normal international travel can be resumed as Taiwan gets back in touch with the world again.
Bloomberg reported that Singapore’s Changi Airport handled 1.42 million passengers in the first two months of this year.
The figure was much higher than that of Hong Kong International Airport, which processed 157,000 passengers in January and February, and that of South Korea’s Incheon International Airport, ranked No. 1 in Asia in terms of international travel last year, which processed 675,452 passengers over the same period.
Later, Changi Airport set new highs by handling 1.14 million and 1.93 million travelers in March and April respectively, and is likely to remain the busiest Asian airport this year.
For more than seven years, Changi Airport has never beaten Hong Kong and Incheon airports simultaneously in terms of passenger traffic. Faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, the airport has been able to surpass its rivals and consolidate its position as an international flight hub in the Asia-Pacific region thanks to Singapore opening transit passenger operations from June last year.
Hong Kong International Airport suspended transit passenger operations due to the pandemic.
As a result, an International Air Transport Association spokesperson said: “It’s effectively off the map now, and I think it’s going to be difficult for Hong Kong to recover.”
This has been in sharp contrast to Changi Airport.
When most international airlines canceled direct flights at the height of the pandemic, Changi Airport, backed by the Singaporean government, was able to attract transfer passengers to Southeast Asia, turning into a prime transit hub, while making a breakthrough in the sluggish aviation industry.
Currently, the number of transit passengers accounts for more than 50 percent of its passenger traffic, up from 30 percent before the pandemic.
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport handled 910,000 passengers last year. As the government relaxed the quarantine requirements for arriving passengers early this year, its passenger traffic reached 400,000 in the first four months, which was still far behind Changi Airport’s 720,000 passengers in January.
Since the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) suspended transit passenger operations at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in May last year, local airlines have repeatedly urged the CECC to restore operations. Unfortunately, the CECC still refuses to do so, while Taiwan fails to absorb passengers from Hong Kong International Airport to replace it as an Asia-Pacific hub.
In addition, the reduction of passengers caused by border closures has triggered an outflow of staff at airports in many countries. As more flights are restored, some have been canceled or delayed, and system breakdowns and passenger complaints have been reported due to insufficient airline staff.
Before Taiwan opens its borders later this year, it should resume transit passenger operations, so that Taiwanese airports and airlines have enough time to review their staff and equipment, while employees familiarize themselves with the operational procedures.
Then they can ensure a pleasant experience for passengers once Taiwan opens its borders.
Anderson Fu is a senior traffic manager at an airline.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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