In the past, there was Shuinan Airport in the center of Taichung City, but it was relocated to Qingquangang Airport due to factors such as the small hinterland. In order to support Jiang Wanan, the Blue Committee believed that the relocation of Songshan Airport could be based on Shuinan's experience. However, the relocation of Songshan Airport to Taoyuan Airport has a wide range of implications. The Ministry of Transportation has pointed out in the past that Songshan Airport is not only an international business airport in the capital, but also an important national key infrastructure. It shoulders important responsibilities such as civil aviation, urban development, transportation rights and interests of residents on outlying islands, national defense, and national disaster relief.
Shuinan Airport was moved to Qingquangang Airport. The main reason is that Shuinan Airport is located in the center of Taichung City, but its hinterland is too small, only more than 250 hectares. Therefore, Shuinan Airport was moved to Qingquangang in 2004. The hinterland of Qingquangang Airport exceeds 17 At 50 hectares, it is much larger than Shuinan Airport, and the space and total capacity are much more sufficient than before the relocation. The original Shuinan Airport is now Shuinan Economic and Trade Park, where the Taichung International Convention and Exhibition Center, Central Park, etc. have been built, and there will also be a super dome in the future.
The same is true for relocation. The relocation of Songshan Airport to Taoyuan Airport has a greater impact than the relocation of Shuinan Airport. When Jiang Wanan proposed the idea of relocating Songshan Airport, the Ministry of Transport responded that Songshan Airport has its important air transport service function. Songshan Airport serves international and cross-strait routes such as Haneda, Seoul, and Shanghai. It is also a hub for domestic outlying islands and eastern routes. It is also the base of the Air Service Corps of the national defense air force deployment and rescue system. Any public policy related to the country's mid- to long-term development needs to be carefully evaluated from the perspective of the country as a whole.
The Executive Yuan approved the "Songshan International Airport 2040 Master Plan", positioning Songshan Airport as the "Capital International Business Airport" and "Domestic Air Transport Service Hub." From the perspective of medical evacuation to outlying islands, according to statistics from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the number of people from outlying island areas who came to Taiwan for medical treatment last year reached 38,651. Within 5 kilometers of Songshan Airport, there are nine major emergency hospitals that can be reached in about 10 to 15 minutes by car, which has considerable advantages in medical evacuation.
If we look at Taoyuan Airport's ability to handle flights from Songshan Airport, Songshan Airport handled 5,624,611 international and domestic passengers last year, and domestic passenger traffic accounted for about 50% of the country. Taoyuan Airport's international passengers reached 47.8 million last year, exceeding the existing terminal capacity by 42.8 million. This year, it is expected to handle 50 million passengers.
Although the north corridor of Taoji Terminal 3 was opened on December 25 last year, and the main terminal and south corridor are expected to be completed by the end of next year, the initial annual passenger volume will only be 20 million. After the completion of the third runway and satellite corridor, the annual passenger volume of Terminal 3 can be increased to 45 million passengers, the total capacity of the three terminals can reach 82 million passengers. Some scholars also bluntly said that Taoyuan Airport cannot handle the load at this stage. In the future, it will have to respond to the growth of international passenger, cargo and transfer demand. Taoyuan Airport did not consider the needs of Songshan Airport when planning.
Not only that, there are also some differences in equipment and aircraft operations. Songshan Airport’s domestic routes are dominated by slower propeller aircraft such as ATRs, while Taoyuan Airport is dominated by jetliners. Lin Guoxian, deputy minister of the Ministry of Transportation, once said that Taoyuan Airport is currently mainly operated by international flights, and related facilities are designed according to the needs of international flights. If the operation of small and medium-sized aircraft and helicopters on domestic routes is increased, in addition to having to re-plan passenger and cargo movement routes, it may also affect the runway and airside operation capacity.
