Summary
Taichung International Airport (Chinese: 臺中國際機場) (IATA: RMQ, ICAO: RCMQ), is an international airport located in Taichung, Taiwan, which is used for both commercial and military purposes. It is also the third international airport in Taiwan, with scheduled services to China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macao, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.
Taichung International Airport 臺中國際機場 | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public / Military | ||||||||||
| Operator | Civil Aeronautics Administration Ministry of National Defense | ||||||||||
| Serves | Greater Taichung | ||||||||||
| Location | Taichung City, Taiwan | ||||||||||
| Opened | 1954 | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 663 ft / 203 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 24°15′53″N 120°37′14″E / 24.26472°N 120.62056°E | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  RMQ Location of airport in Taichung  RMQ Location of airport in Taiwan  RMQ Location of airport in East Asia  RMQ RMQ (East China Sea)  RMQ RMQ (North Pacific )  RMQ RMQ (Earth) | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2018) | |||||||||||
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History edit
Early years edit
Taichung International Airport was constructed during the era of Japanese rule and was named Kōkan Airport (Japanese: 公館空港). The United States Air Force (USAF) had been garrisoning the base with two fighter squadrons until the Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty came into force on March 3, 1955. The airport then expanded in 1954 according to the Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty, and later renamed Ching Chuan Kang Air Base (CCK) after General Qiu Qingquan.
In 1966 the American Air Force established a joint forces air-base at CCK. It was the largest air force base in the Far East at the time, allowing Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers to land. During the Vietnam War, CCK became a depot for the USAF. The US Military used CCK and Shuinan Airport to run many of its long-distance Vietnam, Cambodia and Laotian bombing, scouting and cargo transport runs during the Vietnam War era. This base was shut down and most American facilities were removed after the U.S. established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China in 1979.[1]
Developments since the 2000s edit
Construction of passenger facilities was completed in September 2003 and civilian services began on March 5, 2004, replacing the old Shuinan Airport located closer to downtown Taichung. Ching Chuan Kang Airport has since become the only airport serving Taichung. The airport was promoted to an international airport on January 3, 2017, and renamed Taichung International Airport.[2]
In 2003, with the demand to develop cross-strait and other international air routes from Taichung City, it was decided to transfer the airport from Shuinan Airport (TXG) to RMQ; since RMQ had been for the airbase for the Republic of China Air Force, the Taiwanese Civil Aeronautics Administration held negotiations with the air force, which led to the air force allowing an edge for building a new civilian terminal. The first terminal was completed in 2004, and all flights moved from TXG to RMQ soon afterwards. In 2008, officials decided to build another terminal. Terminal 2 now handles all international and cross-strait flights, while the older Terminal 1 serves domestic flights.
Airlines and destinations edit
The following airlines operate regular passenger flights at Taichung International Airport:
Statistics edit
| Rank | Airport | Category | Passengers | % Change 2018 / 17 | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Hong Kong
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International | 720,648 |  1.9%
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Mandarin Airlines, Cathay Dragon, HK Express |
| 2 |  Kinmen
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Domestic | 516,630 |  3.0%
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Uni Air, Far Eastern Air Transport |
| 3 | Penghu
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Domestic | 435,211 | 3.8%
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Uni Air, Far Eastern Air Transport |
| 4 |  Ho Chi Minh City
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International | 225,329 | 39.9%
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Mandarin Airlines, VietJet Air |
| 5 |  Macau
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International | 209,976 | 13.9%
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EVA Air, Tigerair Taiwan |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Taichung Airport
- ^ "清泉崗機場正名 台中國際機場揭牌-風傳媒" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 2017-01-30.
- ^ "Asiana Airlines Resumes Kota Kinabalu / Taichung Service in NW23". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
- ^ "China Eastern late-Sep 2023 Cross-Strait Network Resumptions". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ^ "Korean Air NW23 Regional Network Expansion – 10NOV23". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- ^ "MANDARIN AIRLINES RESUMES TAICHUNG – HO CHI MINH CITY SERVICE IN MID-NOV 2022". Aeroroutes. 16 September 2022. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
- ^ "Starlux Airlines Adds Taichung – Da Nang in NS24". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
- ^ "Starlux Adds Taipei – Hakodate and Taichung – Macau in February and March 2024". KN Aviation. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
- ^ "T'Way Air Plans Seoul – Taichung Launch in Jan 2024". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- ^ "VietJet Air Dec 2022 Taiwan Service Adjustment". Aeroroutes. 22 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
- ^ "VietJet Air Dec 2022 Taiwan Service Adjustment". Aeroroutes. 22 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
- ^ "國際及兩岸定期航線班機載客率－按航線分" (PDF). CAA. CAA. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
- ^ "國內航線班機載客率－按航空公司及航線分" (PDF). CAA (in Chinese). Retrieved 28 January 2019.
External links edit
Media related to Taichung Airport at Wikimedia Commons
- Taichung International Airport Official Website
