As soon as the COVID-19 pandemic started to ease, air travel resumed. From January to last month, Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport recorded 28.24 million passengers, with the number of travelers reaching 69.5 percent of pre-pandemic levels.
In Asia, the commercial aircraft market size has also recovered, with Taiwanese companies having acquired new aircraft to meet the demand. The number of transit passengers is increasing and the government has offered measures to assist foreigners visiting Taiwan.
By the end of this year, the number of total passengers could reach 35 million and growth is set to continue. In 2026, passenger volume is projected to reach 54 million, which is 5 million more than the pre-pandemic level. To meet the demand, the airport must expand its space and service capacity.
First, even before the pandemic, more than 12 million travelers relied on the airport’s Terminals 1 and 2. Although these terminals went through reconstruction and expansion, the work is far from sufficient. The facilities that require more space, such as passport control areas and security checks, should be improved. The Arrival Hall at Terminal 2 has also not been upgraded. Travelers returning to or entering Taiwan still spend too much time waiting for clearance.
Second, today, more flights arrive at peak hours, with ever more transit passengers coming in. The baggage handling area in the basement is far from adequate. Passengers have to spend a long time waiting for their luggage. The operation area for handling baggage and the area’s circulation must be improved.
Third, the space for transit flights should be increased, and so should the service capacity for transit passengers. Nowadays, no security checks are required for transit passengers entering Taiwan directly from the US. This has mitigated the situation and enabled the airport to be less packed in the morning. However, the government might have to tighten security due to the situation in the Middle East. The airport must make adjustments as soon as possible.
Also, in recent years, the importance of border control cannot be over-emphasized. To prevent diseases and pests from entering Taiwan, inspection at the airport should be thoroughly carried out. Since the early stages of the spread of African swine fever, the Customs Administration has tightened border control measures. The inspection is done in a limited space in the immigration corridors. At busier times, this limited space would be even more congested — not a pleasant scene for the country’s gateway. Exclusive areas should be arranged for implementing border control, just like many other international airports.
Lastly, to accommodate the growing number of passengers, more workers should be hired by airline companies and airport agencies. Today, there is a shortage of accommodation facilities, work spaces, rest areas and parking spaces. Given that flights arriving and departing in the early morning or late at night are increasing, many employees commute by car. Reports from before the pandemic have already said that the airport should provide more parking spaces.
Thus, Terminal 1’s Departure Hall car parking lot and Terminal 2’s bus parking lot should be rebuilt with steel structures to create more space. Check-in counters and clearance facilities could be added so that passengers without checked bags, or who have already checked in, could enter and exit.
After the Terminal 2 bus parking lot is renovated, the parking lot for airport workers could be relocated to the upper floors. In doing so, more spaces would become available.
Wayne Chou is a former director of Chiang Kai-shek International Airport.
Translated by Emma Liu
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