Kaohsiung City Government promotes the construction of a new 24-hour international airport to cope with the curfew restrictions at Xiaogang Airport

The curfew at Xiaogang Airport affects many flights and cargo, and the Kaohsiung City Government proposes to build another international airport that operates around the clock. (Photo by reporter Wu Liangyi)

Due to the curfew restrictions at Kaohsiung Xiaogang Airport, the Kaohsiung City Government requested to build another new airport with no curfew 24 hours a day. The Kaohsiung City Government has commissioned a Belgian professional consulting company to initiate research and planning for a new 24-hour international airport.

The curfew at Kaohsiung Xiaogang Airport from 00:01 at night to 06:30 in the morning blocks many flights, such as European and American long-haul routes, low-cost airline red-eye flights, and cargo plane takeoff and landing periods. The output value and cargo demand of many science parks in the south are soaring year by year. Airports that can operate 24 hours a day are particularly important for the south.

Please read on...

The Kaohsiung City Government explained that when Mayor Chen Qimai was asked about the Xiaogang Airport issue by the media in March 2024, he said that Xiaogang Airport is close to the urban area and has the advantage of convenient travel. However, it is a city-type airport, and its operation must take into account the lives of surrounding residents. Whether to adjust operating hours involves passenger and freight demand, transportation and living environment, which requires an overall assessment and is not "a question of whether the curfew should be cancelled."

Chen Qimai has also repeatedly called on the government to build a new 24-hour international airport in response to the industrial development of the semiconductor S corridor and the increasing demand for international passengers and freight. The "South Star Project" is the site selection idea proposed by Chen Qimai.

Regarding the curfew restrictions on Kaohsiung International Airport, the Kaohsiung City Government has commissioned a well-known Belgian consulting company to initiate a research plan for a new 24-hour airport, and emphasized that the Kaohsiung City Government is striving to build a new 24-hour international airport.

Kaohsiung Xiaogang International Airport is undergoing the northward moving project of the three-dimensional parking lot on the east side and taxiway A. (Provided by the Civil Aviation Administration of the Ministry of Transport)

Schematic diagram of the current status of the Nanxing project area and adjacent road systems. (Photo by reporter Wu Liangyi)