Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport was yesterday expected to serve 157,000 inbound and outgoing passengers, the most since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, airport officials said yesterday, citing airline records.
The figure, reported on the first day of the nine-day Lunar New Year holiday that began yesterday, included 76,000 departing Taiwan, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (桃園國際機場) said, adding that 176 airplanes were scheduled to take off or land at the airport.
The Aviation Police Bureau, National Immigration Agency, airport security, airlines and the military have sent 106 people including substitute military service personnel to help the airport handle the surge in passengers, it said.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
The airport, following government instructions, also issued warnings to passengers going to designations considered high risk for kidnapping or human trafficking following reports that organized crime groups were using fake tour groups to target people.
The nations identified as being frequently used by organized crime to entrap people with fake work visas and trips are Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia, the airport said.
During the peak travel period from Friday to Feb. 3, the airport could serve a total of 1.55 million passengers, or a daily average of 140,000, it said.
Photo: Lai Hsiao-tung, Taipei Times
Separately, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday inspected the Freeway Bureau’s traffic control center, and urged travelers to use the government’s Freeway 1968 (高速公路1968) app to check road conditions before driving on freeways.
Officials have worked hard to apply artificial intelligence and big data technology to manage traffic flows, Cho told a news conference at the bureau’s center in New Taipei City.
People should use the government app to avoid being stuck on the road, especially on Lunar New Year on Wednesday and Thursday, the second day of the Lunar New Year when married daughters traditionally return to visit their parents’ home, he said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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