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Taoyuan International Airport

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Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (IATA: TPE, ICAO: RCTP) (Chinese: 台灣桃園國際機場 or 臺灣桃園國際機場; Tongyong Pinyin: Táiwan Táoyuán Gúojì Jichǎng, Pinyin: Táiwān Táoyuán Gúojì Jīchǎng), formerly Chiang Kai-shek International Airport (Chinese: 中正國際機場; Tongyong Pinyin: Jhongjhèng Gúojì Jichǎng; Pinyin: Zhōngzhèng Gúojì Jīchǎng), also known simply as Taoyuan Airport or C.K.S. Airport, is an international airport located in Taoyuan County, Taiwan Province, Republic of China in northern Taiwan. It is the one of the three international airports in Taiwan, and by far the busiest international air entry point. It is the home base for China Airlines and EVA Air, which both operate a major hub at this airport.

Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is one of two airports that serve northern Taiwan, including Taipei. The other is Taipei Songshan Airport located within the Taipei City limits, which serves only domestic flights and, rarely, some chartered international flights. Taipei Songshan Airport formerly served Taipei as its international airport before the opening of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, then known as Chiang Kai-shek International Airport, in 1979. The other two international airports in Taiwan are Kaohsiung International Airport (Hsiaogang Airport) and Taichung International Airport.

The origin of the name

The airport was named after late President Chiang Kai-shek until 2006. In Chinese, its former name was Chung-Cheng (Zhongzheng), the style name that Chiang Kai-shek chose for himself during his political career, and is rendered without his surname (which is traditionally done as a sign of respect). In a situation which is similar to Ronald Reagan-Washington National Airport, local officials in Taoyuan and other members of the pan-Green coalition often referred to it as the "Taoyuan International Airport" because Chiang Kai-shek was associated with the Chinese political party Kuomintang and authoritarianism. Some news organizations and local residents often called the airport with the formerly name "Taoyuan Chung-Cheng Airport", combining the two commonly used names.

The Executive Yuan of the current President Chen Shui-bian's administration officially approved the name change of the airport to "Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport" on September 6, 2006[1]. The opposition Kuomintang, which holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan with its political allies, would like the name changed to "Taiwan Taoyuan Chiang Kai-shek International Airport"[2]. Many felt the change was another act of President Chen's administration's desinicization rather than a sign of Taiwan localization movement.

Ironically, the Communist Party of China, who the Democratic Progressive Party that proposed the name change opposes, and its people have always referred to the airport as the "Taoyuan Airport."

History

The airport opened (with Terminal 1) on February 21, 1979 as part of the Ten Major Construction Projects pursued by the government in the 1970s. The airport was originally planned under the name Taoyuan International Airport but was later changed to Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in memory of former President Chiang Kai-shek.

The airport is the main hub of China Airlines, the ROC's flag carrier as well as EVA Air, a private airline established in the early 1990s. Overcrowding of the airport in recent years prompted the construction of Terminal 2, which was opened on July 29 2000 with half of the gates operational. Eva Air was the first airline to move into Terminal 2. The other half opened on January 21, 2005 for China Airlines[3]. There are plans for the construction of a third terminal, which will be built as a replacement for the aging Terminal 1. It is rumored that all international flights will be moved to Terminal 3 and Terminal 1 will be renovated into a domestic terminal. Construction on Terminal 3 is expected to begin in 2008[4].

A rapid transit line connecting the airport to Taipei City is under construction, which will link Terminals 1, 2, and in the future, 3, together.

In January 2006, a Foreign Laborers' Service Center was set up[5] to provide airport pick-up services and serve as a channel for complaints regarding exploitation of migrant workers. There are service desks in the Arrival lobby of Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, and in the Departure lobby of Terminal 1. Service hotlines in the Vietnamese, Thai, English, and Indonesian languages are provided.

Disasters

Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport was one of the airports targeted by the failed Project Bojinka plot in 1995.

On February 16, 1998, China Airlines Flight 676, which was arriving from Denpasar-Bali International Airport, Indonesia, crashed into a residential area while landing in poor weather, killing all 196 people on board and six on the ground.

On October 31, 2000, Singapore Airlines Flight 006, which was on a Singapore Changi Airport, Singapore-Taipei-Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles route rammed into construction equipment on a closed runway during takeoff from Taipei, crashing back onto the runway and killing 82 passengers and crew. According to the investigative report, it was caused by misleading runway lights and improper command by air traffic control, resulting in the plane taking off from runway 05R which was undergoing repair.

On May 25, 2002, China Airlines Flight 611 broke up in mid-flight on the way to Hong Kong International Airport in Hong Kong from Chiang Kai-Shek Airport, as it was known then. All 225 people on board died.

Airlines and destinations

Terminal 1

The exterior of Terminal 1, the oldest part of the airport. It is used primarily by China Airlines and its subsidiaries.
Departure passport station of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 1

Terminal 1 is the original passenger terminal of the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. The terminal, along with the airport, opened in 1979 as a relief to the overcrowded Taipei Songshan Airport. All international flights moved to the airport following the completion of this terminal. Terminal 1 featured 22 gates. A row of 12 gates are located on the north end of the airfield facing the north runway and another row of 12 gates are located on the south end airfield facing the south runway. The two concourses that contained the airplane gates are linked together by a main building that contained the check-in areas, baggage claim, passport immigration areas, and security checkpoint areas. Together they form a giant "H". All gates are equipped with jetways. Gates located at the end of the concourses have one jetway and gates not located at the end of the concourses have two jetways.

The design of Terminal 1 was based on the main terminal of the Washington Dulles International Airport.

After Terminal 2 was completed, some gates from Terminal 1 were removed to make space for Terminal 2. Currently Terminal 1 has 18 gates[6].

Alphabetical letters were introduced when Terminal 1 was completed. The north concourse is now Concourse A and the south concourse is now Concourse B. Before Terminal 2, gates were numbered from 1 to 22.

Airlines using this terminal:

China Airlines flights to and from Europe and Southeast Asia are located in Terminal 1

Terminal 2

Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Terminal 2
A view of the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 2
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Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Terminal 2 Departure Area

Terminal 2 opened in 2000 to reduce congestion in the aging Terminal 1. Only the South Concourse had been completed by the time the terminal opened. The South Concourse alone has 10 gates, each with 2 jetways and their own security checkpoints. The check-in areas, baggage claim, and passport stations are located in the new main building. The North Concourse (row of gates) opened later in 2005, bringing the total number of gates for Terminal 2 to 20 gates. The security checkpoint has been moved to the front of the passport stations.

The Southern and Northern Concourses are also known as Concourse C and Concourse D, respectively. Because Terminal 2 was built 20 or more years later than Terminal 1, Terminal 2 has a more modern and stylish interior than Terminal 1. Terminals 1 and 2 are connected by two short people mover lines, with one from Concourse A to C, and the other from B to D.

Airlines using this terminal:

China Airlines flights to and from the US, Canada, Australia, Japan, and Guam are located in Terminal 2

  • China Airlines (Anchorage, Brisbane, Fukuoka, Guam, Hiroshima, Honolulu, Houston-Intercontinental, Los Angeles, Nagoya-Centrair, New York-JFK, Okinawa, Osaka-Kansai, San Francisco, Sapporo-Chitose, Seattle/Tacoma, Sydney, Tokyo-Narita, Vancouver)
  • EVA Air (Amsterdam, Auckland, Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Brisbane, Denpasar/Bali, Fukuoka, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Jakarta, Kaohsiung, Kuala Lumpur, London-Heathrow, Los Angeles, Macau, Manila, Mumbai, Nagoya-Centrair, Newark, Osaka-Kansai, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Phnom Penh, San Francisco, Sapporo-Chitose, Seattle/Tacoma, Sendai, Seoul-Incheon, Singapore, Surabaya, Tokyo-Narita, Vancouver, Vienna, Vientiane)

Cargo airlines

Aviation Museum

The Chung Cheng Aviation Museum (Chinese: 中正航空科學館) is located on the south-eastern area of the airport, between the main freeway entrance and the terminals. It is built in 1981 by Boeing under CAA contract[7]. Many retired Republic of China Air Force fighters are represented here. The Chung Cheng Aviation Museum is the only major aviation museum in Taiwan.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Signboard replacement to reflect airport name-change gets underway". 2006-09-06. Retrieved 2006-09-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
    "Cabinet approves new name for Taiwan's main international airport". 2006-09-06. Retrieved 2006-09-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
    ATVnews (Hong Kong, Traditional Chinese)
    BBC (Traditional Chinese)
  2. ^ "CKS AIRPORT SHOULD BE RENAMED 'TAIWAN TAOYUAN CKS AIRPORT': KMT". 2006-09-01. Retrieved 2006-09-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ China Airlines (2005-01-25). "About the D Concourse of Terminal 2". China Airlines. Retrieved 2006-05-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ Airport Technology (2005-01-25). "Terminal 3 Information". Airport Technology. Retrieved 2006-05-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport (2006-01-20). "Opening of Foreign Laborer's Service Center". Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport. Retrieved 2006-05-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ "Taipei Taoyuan International Airport- Basic Information".
  7. ^ Museum Info - Taoyuan County Government Website (Trad. Chinese)
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