TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Civil Aviation Administration Director Ho Shu-ping (何淑萍) said Taichung International Airport recorded 1.71 million passengers last year, setting a record and surpassing pre-COVID-19 levels by 20%.
Ho said the airport’s summer schedule offers 146 weekly flights, surpassing 111 before the pandemic. She said passenger traffic has strong growth potential and added the administration will work with the city government to enhance its facilities, per CNA.
The airport completed a new taxiway last year, enabling aircraft to reach runways faster and exit them more quickly after landing. The administration also installed additional X-ray machines to speed up baggage screening. It plans to add seven aircraft parking stands to ease a shortage of parking spaces.
Starlux Airlines has continued expanding international flights in central Taiwan. On Monday, the airline launched a Taichung-Tokyo flight and will open a Taichung-Kumamoto route on Tuesday.
Ho noted that Starlux Airlines operates 46 weekly flights under the airport’s summer schedule, highlighting the airline’s importance to the airport’s operations.
DPP Legislator Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) said Taichung is a key hub for Starlux Airlines. He called on the administration to speed up the addition of aircraft parking stands so the airline’s planes do not have to return to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport for parking.
In 2023, the government completed upgrades to the airport’s two terminals, increasing their annual capacity to 3.69 million passengers. The third terminal, currently under construction, is scheduled for completion by 2040.
Starlux Chairman Chang Kuo-wei (張國煒) said the company is discussing details with Japanese authorities to launch a direct flight from Taichung to Sapporo in October and plans to start a Taichung-Sendai route next year.
