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Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport 臺灣桃園國際機場 Táiwān Táoyuán Gúojì Jīchǎng
IATA: TPE – ICAO: RCTP
Summary
Airport type		Public
Operator		Civil Aeronautics Administration
Serves		Taipei
Location		Dayuan Township, Taoyuan County,  Republic of China (Taiwan)
Hub for		China Airlines EVA Air
Elevation AMSL		119 ft / 33 m
Coordinates		25°4′35″N 121°13′26″E / 25.07639°N 121.22389°E / 25.07639; 121.22389
Website		www.taoyuanairport.gov.tw
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
06/24	10,991	3,350	Paved
05/23	12,008	3,660	Paved

Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (IATA: TPE, ICAO: RCTP) (traditional Chinese: 臺灣桃園國際機場 or traditional Chinese: 台灣桃園國際機場) is an international airport located in Dayuan Township, Taoyuan County, Taiwan. It is one of three Taiwanese airports with regular international flights, and is by far the busiest international air entry point amongst them. It is the home base for China Airlines and EVA Air, both of which operate a major hub at this airport. Opened in 1979, the airport was known as Chiang Kai-shek International Airport (traditional Chinese: 中正國際機場; simplified Chinese: 中正国际机场; Hanyu Pinyin: Zhōngzhèng Gúojì Jīchǎng, Tongyong Pinyin: Jhongjhèng Gúojì Jichǎng) until the name was changed in 2006.

Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is one of the two airports that serve northern Taiwan, including Taipei. The other is Taipei Songshan Airport, located within the Taipei City limits, which served Taipei as its international airport until 1979, but now serves only chartered flights, most of which are to and from mainland China (see Cross-strait charter), and domestic flights.

Origin of the name

The airport, originally planned as Taoyuan International Airport, bore the name of late President of the Republic of China, Chiang Kai-shek, until 2006. In Chinese, its former name was literally "Chung-Cheng (Zhongzheng) International Airport", where Chung-Cheng is the legal given name which Chiang Kai-shek had used since 1910s. In Taiwan, Chiang Kai-shek is associated with the Chinese Nationalist Party or Kuomintang and its many years of one-party authoritarian rule. Local officials in Taoyuan County and members of the pan-Green coalition often referred to the hub by the name originally associated with it, "Taoyuan International Airport". News organizations and local residents sometimes combined the two commonly used names as "Taoyuan Chung-Cheng Airport."

The Executive Yuan of then-President Chen Shui-bian's administration officially approved the name Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport for the hub on September 6, 2006^[1]. The opposition Kuomintang, which together with its political allies held a one-vote majority in the Legislative Yuan, decried the change and proposed "Taiwan Taoyuan Chiang Kai-shek International Airport" instead^[2]. The disagreement, like those affecting the names of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and other Taiwan landmarks, stands as another manifestation of the trend known as Taiwan localization among pan-Green officials and desinicization by Pan-blue coalition.

Media in mainland China has always referred to the airport as "Taoyuan International Airport" so as to avoid mention of Chiang Kai-Shek.

History

In the 1970s, the original airport in Taipei City—Taipei Songshan Airport—became overcrowded and was not able to be expanded. Thus, a new airport was planned.

The new 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 of the Republic of China 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]

An extension of the Taipei Rapid Transit System will link all the airport's terminals together, as well as link the airport to Taipei City.

In January 2006, a Foreign Laborers' Service Center was set up^[5] to provide airport pick-up services and serve the needs 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.

Terminals, airlines and destinations

SARS checkpoint at Terminal 1 International Arrivals

The exterior of Terminal 1.

Departure passport station of Terminal 1

Terminal 2

A view of Terminal 2

Terminal 2 Departure Area

FIDS at Terminal 2 in Chinese and English.

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 11 gates are located on the north end of the airfield facing the north runway and another row of 11 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 terminal used to be very white in color when it first opened. As the years gradually passed, the facade and color is becoming more tan and yellow colored due to the overwide pollution in Taipei.

Terminal 1 is also currently undergoing a $42 million dollar renovation that is expected to be completed by 2010. The renovation includes a new facelift, designed by Japanese architect Norihiko Dan, and a new modern and stylish interior. The renovation will be completed during late hours to avoid congestion during peak hours.

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.

Terminal 2

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 North Concourse opened later in 2005, bringing the total number of gates for Terminal 2 to 20 gates; the security checkpoints were moved to a central location in front of the passport control.

The Southern and Northern Concourses are also known as Concourse C and Concourse D, respectively. Terminals 1 and 2 are connected by two short people mover lines, with one from Concourse A to D, and the other from B to C.

Airlines and destinations

Cargo airlines

Ground Transportation

• Bus: Frequent buses link this airport to Taipei, Taoyuan City, Jhongli, Taichung and Taiwan High Speed Rail's Taoyuan Station. Bus stops are available at both terminals.
• Car Rental: Available at both terminals. This airport is served by National Highway No. 2.
• Railway: The Taoyuan International Airport Access MRT System is scheduled to begin service in 2013. The THSR Taoyuan Station about 8 km away, and connected by bus.

Accidents and incidents

On November 28, 1987, South African Airways Flight 295 crashed in a catastrophic fire on the Indian Ocean off Mauritius bound to Jan Smuts Airport (now OR Tambo International Airport) in Johannesburg from Chiang Kai-Shek Airport, as it was known then. All 159 passengers and crew were killed.

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 05R during takeoff from Taipei. The aircraft had lifted off and crashed with 82 fatalities. At the time of the incident, the northern runways were designated 05L and 05R (parallel); the latter has since been reassigned as a taxiway.

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.

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 was built in 1981 by Boeing under CAA contract^[7]. Many retired Republic of China Air Force fighters are represented here.

Awards

• Airport Service Quality (Airports Council International) Best Airport in 15 - 25 million passengers level (2008)[1]

Future Developments

In addition to the remodeling of the aging Terminal 1, the runways and taxiways are set to be expanded by 2014 to accommodate large planes (including the Airbus A380) at a cost of NT$10.7 billion.^[8]

As part of the "Taoyuan Aerotropolis" plan (scheduled for completion in 2020), existing terminals will be expanded, an aerospace industrial part will be established, and special zones for cargo, passenger and logistic services will be developed.^[8]

In 2011 the runways will undergo its first major resurfacing and length extension in 30 years. ^[9]

See also

• Kaohsiung International Airport
• Taipei Songshan Airport
• Transportation in Taiwan
• Ten Major Construction Projects

References

External links

• Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Homepage
• openNav: TPE / RCTP charts
• AirlineSafety.com: Rushing to Die: Flight SQ006
• Taiwan:Touch Your Heart