Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport

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Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport 台灣桃園國際機場 Táiwan Táoyuán Gúoji Jichǎng

IATA: TPE - ICAO: RCTP
Summary <tr><th colspan="2" align="left" valign="top">Airport type</th><td colspan="2" valign="top">public</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" align="left" valign="top">Operator</th><td colspan="2" valign="top">Civil Aeronautics Administration</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" align="left" valign="top">Serves</th><td colspan="2" valign="top">Taipei</td></tr>
Elevation AMSL		119 ft (33 m)
Coordinates		25°4′35″N, 121°13′26″E
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
6/24	10,991	3,350	Paved
5/23	12,008	3,660	Paved

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

It is one of two airports that serve the capital and largest metropolitian area of Taiwan, Taipei, and northern Taiwan. The other is Taipei Songshan Airport, which serves mostly domestic flights and is located within the Taipei City limits. 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 and Taichung International Airport [1].

1 Name
2 History
- 2.1 Disasters
3 Terminal I
4 Terminal II
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Name

The airport was named after late former President of the Republic of China Chiang Kai-shek until the recent name change. The airport's name is referred to in Chinese as Chung-Cheng (Zhongzheng), the given 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 refer to it as the "Taoyuan International Airport". There are news organizations and local residents who call the airport "Taoyuan Chung-Cheng Airport", effectively 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<ref>Signboard replacement to reflect airport name-change gets underway (2006-09-06). Retrieved on 2006-09-06.
Cabinet approves new name for Taiwan's main international airport (2006-09-06). Retrieved on 2006-09-06.
ATVnews (Hong Kong, Traditional Chinese)
BBC (Simplified Chinese)</ref>. 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"<ref>CKS AIRPORT SHOULD BE RENAMED 'TAIWAN TAOYUAN CKS AIRPORT': KMT (2006-09-01). Retrieved on 2006-09-03.</ref>.

[edit] History

The airport opened (with Terminal I) 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 late 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. The airport has became overcrowded in recent years, prompting the construction of Terminal II, which was opened on July 29 2000. Terminal II originally opened with only 1/2 of the gates operational. Eva Air was the first airline to move into Terminal II. The other 1/2 of the gates for Terminal II opened on January 21, 2005 for China Airlines<ref>China Airlines (2005-01-25). About the D Concourse of Terminal II. China Airlines. Retrieved on 2006-05-21.</ref>. Plans also exist for the construction of a third terminal, which will be built as a replacement for the aging Terminal I. It is rumored that all international flights will be moved to Terminal III and Terminal I will be renovated into a Domestic Terminal. Construction on Termial III is expected to begin in 2008<ref>Airport Technology (2005-01-25). Terminal III Information. Airport Technology. Retrieved on 2006-05-21.</ref>.

A Rapid Transit line connecting the airport to Taipei City is under construction, which will link Terminals I, II, and in the future, III, together.

In January 2006, a Foreign Laborers' Service Center was set up<ref>Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport (2006-01-20). Opening of Foreign Laborer’s Service Center. Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport. Retrieved on 2006-05-19.</ref> 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 I and Terminal II, and in the Departure lobby of Terminal I. Service hotlines in the Vietnamese, Thai, English, and Indonesian languages are also provided.

[edit] 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 trying to land in inclement 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 crashed upon takeoff from Taipei, killing 82 passengers. 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 midflight on the way to Hong Kong International Airport in Hong Kong from Chiang Kai Shek Airport, as it was known back then. All of 225 people on board perished.

[edit] Terminal I

Image:CKS Airport Terminal One.jpg

Image:CKS airport-oliv.jpg

Terminal I opened along with CKS Airport in 1979 as a relief for the overcrowded Taipei Songshan Airport. All international flights were moved to Terminal I of CKS Airport following the completion of this terminal. Terminal I featured 22 gates in total. 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. All gates are equipped with jetways. Gates located at the end of the concourses have only 1 jetway and gates not located at the end of the concourses have 2 jetways.

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

After Terminal II was completed, some gates from Terminal I were removed to make space for Terminal II. The current Terminal I has 20 gates.

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

Airlines using this terminal:

Angkor Airways (Angkor)
Air Macau (Macau)
Cathay Pacific (Fukuoka, Hong Kong, Nagoya, Osaka-Kansai, Seoul-Incheon, Tokyo-Narita)
China Airlines (Abu Dhabi, Amsterdam, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Denpasar/Bali, Frankfurt, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Phuket, Jakarta, Kaohsiung, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, New Delhi, Penang, Phnom Penh, Rome-Fiumicino, Seoul-Incheon, Singapore, Vienna)

CAL flights to and from the Europe and Southeast Asia are located in Terminal 1

- Mandarin Airlines (Asahikawa, Cebu, Hakodate, Ishigaki, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Subic, Toyama, Wajima, Yangon)
Far Eastern Air Transport (Jeju, Clark, Danang, Palau, Siem Reap)
Jetstar Asia (Singapore)
Korean Air (Seoul-Incheon)
Malaysia Airlines (Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Los Angeles)
Northwest Airlines (Detroit, Osaka-Kansai)
Pacific Airlines (Ho Chi Minh City)
Palau Pacific Airlines (Palau)
Philippine Airlines (Manila)
President Airlines
Thai Airways International (Bangkok, Hong Kong, Phuket, Seoul-Incheon)
TransAsia Airways (Busan, Jeju, Kota Kinabalu, Macau)
Vietnam Airlines (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City)

[edit] Terminal II

Image:CKS Airport Terminal Two.jpg

Terminal II opened in 2000 to reduce congestion in the aging Terminal I. However, 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 also been moved right in front of the passport stations as well.

The Southern and Northern Concourses are also known as Concourse C and Concourse D, respectively. Because Terminal 2 was built 20+ years later than Terminal I, Terminal II has a more modern and stylish interior than Terminal I. Terminals I and II are connected by a short light rail line.

Airlines using this terminal:

All Nippon Airways
- Air Nippon (Nagoya, Tokyo-Narita)
Asiana Airlines (Seoul-Incheon)
Cathay Pacific
- Dragonair (Hong Kong)
China Airlines (Anchorage, Brisbane, Fukuoka, Guam, Hiroshima, Honolulu, Houston-Intercontinental, Los Angeles, Nagoya, New York-JFK, Okinawa, Osaka-Kansai, San Francisco, Sapporo, Seattle/Tacoma, Sydney, Tokyo-Narita, Vancouver)

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

EVA Air (Amsterdam, Auckland, Bangkok, Brisbane, Denpasar/Bali, Fukuoka, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Jakarta, Kaohsiung, Kuala Lumpur, London-Heathrow, Los Angeles, Macau, Manila, Mumbai, Nagoya, Newark, Osaka-Kansai, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Phnom Penh, San Francisco, Sapporo, Seattle/Tacoma, Sendai, Seoul-Incheon, Singapore, Surabaya, Tokyo-Narita, Vancouver, Vienna, Vientiane)
- Uni Air (Kaohsiung)
Japan Airlines
- Japan Asia Airways (Nagoya, Osaka-Kansai, Tokyo-Narita)
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Amsterdam, Bangkok)
Lufthansa (Bangkok, Hong Kong, Frankfurt)
Singapore Airlines (Los Angeles, Singapore)
United Airlines (Chicago-O'Hare, Nagoya, San Francisco [nonstop begins April 1, 2007], Tokyo-Narita)