A third terminal is to be built at Taichung International Airport to accommodate more international travelers, Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) announced yesterday, adding that an airport MRT rail line and other transportation systems would be built to facilitate access to the airport.
Chen made the announcement after inspecting the revamped domestic flight and international flight terminals at the airport yesterday morning.
“Taichung International Airport is crucial to the precision machinery industry in central Taiwan. We are investing in the future of Taiwan by investing in Taichung,” Chen said.
Photo: CNA
“Our most important goal at the moment is to fully resume flight services previously available at Taichung airport,” he added.
Chen also lauded the Civil Aeronautics Administration’s (CAA) efforts in accelerating renovations at the two terminals during the COVID-19 pandemic, overcoming challenges such as a labor shortage and sharp increases in construction costs.
“The agency managed to maintain operations at the terminals while ensuring that renovations could proceed. As the global aviation industry is recovering from disruptions caused by the pandemic, the agency has also reduced landing fees to encourage more airlines to land in Taichung,” he said.
The government remains committed to attracting 6 million international travelers to Taiwan this year and adding a third terminal to Taichung airport to accommodate more travelers, he said.
The government would further facilitate access to the airport, including an interchange connecting the Sun Yat-Sen Freeway (Freeway No. 1) and Highway 74 that would be launched next year and a plan to construct an airport MRT line, he said.
The number of passengers accessing Taichung airport has grown rapidly since 2010, CAA data showed.
In 2019, 2.82 million air travelers accessed the airport, which was very close to the terminals’ combined service capacity. Renovations have expanded the service capacity of the two terminals from 2.9 million to 3.69 million per year, including 1 million domestic flight passengers and 2.69 international flight passengers, the agency said.
CAA Director-General Lin Kuo-hsien (林國顯) said that the cost of renovating the two terminals topped NT$1.085 billion (US$34.57 million), with construction scheduled to be completed next week.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said that the renovations have connected the domestic and international flight terminals, allowing them to operate more efficiently.
“We have resumed four international flight services following renovations at the terminals. We hope that all 14 international flight services that were available at Taichung airport before the pandemic will resume within one year,” Wang said.
The congestion at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport could be eased with some of the travelers arriving at and departing from Taichung Airport, Wang said, adding that the transportation ministry would help the Taichung City Government in planning the construction of Taichung’s airport MRT line, or Orange Line.
Flight services to Hanoi, Ho Chi-Minh City, Hong Kong and Macau have resumed in Taichung airport, the CAA said.
Charter flights to South Korea’s Busan and Jeju Island and Vietnam’s Da Nang are expected to be launched this month and next month, it added.
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