Construction of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s third terminal and its south concourse are scheduled to be completed in April and August next year respectively, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday.
“Given that 240 government agencies and companies are stationed at Taoyuan airport, six more months of trial operations are needed at the third terminal and its south concourse. The official opening would be scheduled based on the results of an assessment,” Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Kuo-hsien (林國顯) told a news conference in Taipei.
The terminal’s north concourse was opened on Dec. 25 last year.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) said that Taoyuan International Airport Corp is considering raising the airport service fee, as it is under increasing financial pressure due to the construction projects.
Details have yet to be finalized, he said.
Meanwhile, the ministry would continue encouraging airlines to use sustainable aviation fuel, with the goal of increasing the blend ratio of sustainable aviation fuel to 5 percent by 2030.
“We will not make it mandatory for airlines to use sustainable fuel, as the two petrochemical companies in Taiwan have limited production capacities. CPC Corp, Taiwan can produce 5,000 tonnes, while Formosa Petrochemical Corp can produce 50,000 tonnes. Both cannot satisfy demand from airlines,” Lin said.
In addition, the government is planning to propose amendments to drone regulations to develop the low-altitude economy.
“We are considering allowing trials and sandbox experiments of drones operating at low altitudes to take place in some areas. We would then gradually relax the rules under the conditions of safety to allow low-altitude drone operations in designated areas,” Lin said.
In other news, Chen said that the proposed high-speed rail extension to Yilan County would be built under the conditions that the project is technically feasible and the government is able to fund the project.
Former minister of transportation and communications Hochen Tan (賀陳旦) strongly opposed the project.
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) had instructed the ministry to engage in further discussions over the project, former minister without portfolio Chang Ching-sen (張景森) said.
“The high-speed rail system has been in operation for about 20 years, and a new high-speed rail train is to be added to the service this year. We must engage in practical discussions of extending high-speed rail lines,” Chen said.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
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The next minimum wage hike is expected to exceed NT$30,000, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday during an award ceremony honoring “model workers,” including migrant workers, at the Presidential Office ahead of Workers’ Day today. Lai said he wished to thank the awardees on behalf of the nation and extend his most sincere respect for their hard work, on which Taiwan’s prosperity has been built. Lai specifically thanked 10 migrant workers selected for the award, saying that although they left their home countries to further their own goals, their efforts have benefited Taiwan as well. The nation’s industrial sector and small businesses lay
Quarantine awareness posters at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport have gone viral for their use of wordplay. Issued by the airport branch of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency, the posters feature sniffer dogs making a range of facial expressions, paired with advisory messages built around homophones. “We update the messages for holidays and campaign needs, periodically refreshing materials to attract people’s attention,” quarantine officials said. “The aim is to use the dogs’ appeal to draw focus to quarantine regulations.” A Japanese traveler visiting Taiwan has posted a photo on X of a poster showing a quarantine dog with a
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