The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) yesterday pledged to minimize the impact of airport runway maintenance on flight operations after a runway upkeep project caused disruptions at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Sunday and yesterday.
Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC), which operates the nation’s largest international airport, yesterday morning held an impromptu meeting after the project disrupted 698 flights on Sunday and 647 yesterday. Because of the delays, 10 passenger planes and two cargo planes were diverted to other airports.
Only 53 percent of the flights departing from or arriving at the airport were on time on Sunday, TIAC data showed.
Photo: screen grab from Flightradar24.com
Twenty-five percent of the flights were delayed for less than an hour, while 22 percent were delayed for more than an hour, the data showed.
EVA Airways Flight BR217 to Kuala Lumpur was reportedly delayed for 13 hours because of aircraft maintenance and insufficient fuel, the company said.
The last time large-scale maintenance work was done on the south runway was during the COVID-19 pandemic, when there were relatively fewer flights, TIAC president and CEO Fan Hsiao-lun (范孝倫) told a news conference.
This time, the maintenance covers a larger area, including 1.8km of the main runway, taxiways and a lighting area, Fan said.
The company closed the south runway for maintenance from 10am on Sunday to 4pm today following three discussions that included airline representatives, the Taoyuan Union of Pilots and other agencies, he said, adding that on Feb. 21 it sent a Notice to Air Missions to all parties that might be affected by the project.
“We thought that we had picked a period that would cause less flight disruptions. However, the number of flights delayed by the runway maintenance project on Sunday was higher than we anticipated,” Fan said.
Following complaints about severe flight delays, runway maintenance at the airport would conclude at least 16 hours early, Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said yesterday.
Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Kuo-hsien (林國顯) said that when Taoyuan airport’s south and north runways are both open, 50 flights can take off or land within an hour.
The number drops to 30 if only one runway is open, Lin said.
“In the future, should runway maintenance last more than one day, the company needs to coordinate with airlines to adjust flights, while air traffic controllers would regulate the descent and ascent of flights, particularly those operating at peak hours,” Lin said. “Such information should be made available to air travelers ahead of time, if their flight times might be changed.”
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