The Executive Yuan has preliminarily agreed to grant a Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) request for NT$60 billion (US$2.02 billion) to cover Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s expenses in the short term, the company said on Saturday.
The airport operator said it had filed a request for government funding earlier this month due to a significant shortfall in revenue caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, making it unable to fund construction projects that are crucial to the airport’s development in the long term.
“These projects would help upgrade the Taoyuan airport’s capacity, so it can become an important air hub in East Asia, which would serve as a significant indicator of Taiwan’s competitiveness,” TIAC said, adding that the Executive Yuan would make an announcement once the details are finalized.
The number of air passengers accessing the nation’s largest airport has sharply declined from March 2020 due to a strict entry policy imposed by the Central Epidemic Command Center to contain COVID-19, it said, adding that the figure dropped to a historic low of 909,000 passengers last year.
As a result, the airport’s revenue decreased drastically, with financial losses totaling NT$11.3 billion, the company said.
As of this month, the company has taken loans of more than NT$10 billion to fund its daily operations, it said.
Nearly NT$150 billion was needed for the airport’s construction projects, it said.
“Our assessment was that we would need government assistance in the short term to build the third terminal and third runway,” the company said. “These facilities would help facilitate the recovery of Taiwan’s economy and tourism industry in the post-pandemic era.”
Construction of Terminal 3 is slightly ahead of schedule, TIAC said, adding that it is aiming to open the northern satellite concourse for operations by the end of 2024.
Once construction is completed in 2025, the new terminal would be equipped to serve up to 45 million passengers per year, the company said, adding that it would have 21 aircraft parking spaces near jet bridges and five remote aircraft spaces.
The third runway would enable the airport to accommodate 80 to 90 aircraft per hour, up from 50 per hour at present with only two runways, TIAC said.
The funding would be distributed over the next four years, it said, adding that it would determine whether further government assistance is needed depending on the speed of the airport’s recovery.
NEW AGREEMENT: Malaysia approved imports last year after nearly two years of negotiations and inspections to meet quarantine requirements, officials said Up to 3.6 tonnes of pomeloes from Taiwan cleared Malaysian customs on Friday, in the first shipment of Taiwanese pomeloes to Malaysia. Taiwan-grown pomeloes are popular in domestic and overseas markets for their tender and juicy taste, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said. The fruit is already exported to Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines, it added. The agency began applying for access to the Malaysian market in 2023, compiling data on climate suitability, pests and diseases, and post-harvest handling, while also engaging in nearly two years of negotiations with Malaysian authorities and submitting supplementary
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
One of two tropical depressions that formed offshore this morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. It is expected to move in a northwesterly direction as it continues building momentum, possibly intensifying into Typhoon Mitag this weekend, she added. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is expected to approach southeast of Taiwan on Monday and pass through the Bashi Channel between Tuesday and Wednesday,
About nine Taiwanese are “disappeared,” detained, or otherwise deprived of freedom of movement in China each month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Between Jan. 1 last year and Aug. 31 this year, 188 Taiwanese travelers went missing, were detained and interrogated, or had their personal freedom restricted, with some questioned in airports or hotel lobbies, the council said. In a statement ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the council urged people visiting China for any reason to be highly vigilant and aware of the risks. Of the reported cases, 50 people were “disappeared” after entering China, 19 were detained and 119 had
RSS