Taipei Times
Date: , Nov 18, 2015
By: Shelley Shan  /  Staff reporter

Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) Deputy Director-General Fang Chih-wen (方志文) yesterday said that the nation should wait until at least 2030 to evaluate whether Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) should be closed completely, after terminals three and four, as well as the third runway at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, have been completed.

Fang made the remarks after the CAA announced plans to relocate Songhshan airport to Taoyuan by 2020.

Fang said Songshan airport is a hub for flights serving the outlying islands, as well as remote areas, adding that the facilities in the airport are shared by civilian carriers and the air force.

Passenger volumes at Songshan airport reached 6.1 million last year, including 3.3 million passengers on international flights and 2.8 million on domestic flights, Fang said.

Given the limited capacity at the Songshan facility, Fang said that the administration has capped passenger volume there at 7.1 million.     [FULL  STORY]