The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said it would soon spend about NT$600 million (US$19.7 million) to renovate airports in Cimei (七美) and Wangan (望安) townships, two small islands in Penghu County, as part of government efforts to upgrade facilities and boost tourism in the country’s outlying islands.
Airports are gateways for people to the outlying islands and are the beginning of their journeys, CAA Director-General Ho Shu-ping (何淑萍) said yesterday, adding that a well-designed airport would impress travelers and inspire them to visit the destination again.
Cimei is home to the Twin Hearts Stone Weir (雙心石滬), a stone fish weir, while Wangan is famous for its efforts to conserve green sea turtles.
Photo courtesy of the Civil Aviation Administration
The Cimei airport would be redesigned by incorporating the imageries of five bays on Cimei Island and the Twin Hearts Stone Weir, Ho said.
As the Wangan Airport is northwest and inland from Wangan’s Tanmen Harbor, the airport’s new design would resemble open arms, welcoming tourists from Taiwan proper, she said.
The administration has allocated NT$597.9 million to renovate the two airports, with the construction estimated to take two years. The projects would be jointly designed by Taiwanese architect Hsu Tsung-hsi (許宗熙), Japanese architect Norihiko Dan and Taiwanese landscape designer Wu Shu-yuan (吳書原).
Photo courtesy of Cimei Baobao
Hsu and Dan previously led the renovation of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 1, which was completed in 2013.
The agency began recruiting construction firms for renovation projects since November 2023, but it has twice failed to find contractors.
“Cimei and Wangan are small islands in the Penghu archipelago, and constructions on small islands are much more complicated than those in an outlying island. Additionally, there were already many construction projects on the main island of Penghu. These explain why we failed to recruit contractors,” Ho said.
The agency has reviewed the contract and is to put the contract on tender again next year.
“We hope that the bid would be finalized by the end of next year, and the construction could be completed by December 2029,” she said.
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