Those interested in watching aircraft take off can now do so free of charge from the observation deck at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), which will be opened to the public today.
The observation deck was part of the Civil Aeronautics Administration’s plan to renovate the airport after international flights resumed at the facility three years ago.
According to the administration, the observation deck has an area of about 1,801m2. It is about 100m away from the runway and can accommodate 500 to 600 people at a time.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
The administration said visitors could sit on chairs designed by -Brisbane-based Alexander Lotersztain and drink coffee while watching the aircraft arrive and depart, adding that they could see the Grand Hotel, Miramar Entertainment Park and Taipei 101 from the observation deck as well.
Previously, aviation enthusiasts would view aircraft from Alley 180 on Binjiang Street in Taipei, which is near the end of the airport’s runway.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) said at the inauguration ceremony yesterday that he hoped the observation deck would become a new meeting place in Taipei.
Mao said the deck was a perfect place for couples to spend a romantic evening together and the Taipei Aviation Office might open a forum on its Web site allowing couples to post their love stories.
Mao said the completion of the observation only put a “comma” on the airport’s renovation, which is scheduled for completion by the end of this year.
“[Former Taipei EasyCard Corp chairman] Sean Lien (連勝文) said Songshan airport was inferior to Pyongyang airport,” he said. “I’ve never been to North Korea, but I knew it was not a nice comment. I could only accept it at that time and tried to address it quickly.”
That said, Mao added that Taipei airport now has the potential to be one of the world’s best airports.
The observation deck was scheduled to open in July, but the administration postponed the opening until this month because it was waiting for specially designed chairs to arrive from Spain.
Starting today, the deck will be open to the public daily from 9am to 9pm.
Visitors can enter the observation deck through Terminal 2.
Visitors may not fly kites, operate remote-controlled planes or engage in any activity that might compromise aviation safety. Violators could be fined between NT$30,000 and NT$1.5 million (US$997 and US$49,841), the administration said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as