Kaohsiung International Airport

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Kaohsiung International Airport
高雄國際機場

IATA: KHH – ICAO: RCKH
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator Civil Aeronautics Administration
Serves Kaohsiung
Elevation AMSL 31 ft / 9 m
Coordinates 22°34′37″N 120°21′00″E / 22.57694, 120.35
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
09/27 10,335 3,150 Concrete

Kaohsiung International Airport (traditional Chinese: 高雄國際機場) (IATA: KHH, ICAO: RCKH), also credited as Siaogang International Airport (traditional Chinese: 小港國際機場) for the Siaogang District where it is located, is a medium-sized commercial airport located in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. Kaohsiung International Airport is the second largest airport in Taiwan in terms of passenger movement, accounts for around 15% of international passenger movements in Taiwan[1].

Contents

[edit] History

Originally built as a military airport by the Japanese during the Taiwan under Japanese rule era, Kaohsiung Airport still retained its military purpose when the ROC government just took control of Taiwan. Due to the need for civil transportation in southern Taiwan, it was demilitarized and converted into a domestic civil airport in 1965, and further upgraded to international airport in 1969, with regular international flights started in 1972.

During 1970s and 1980s this airport's international flights were rare, with Hong Kong and Tokyo being the only 2 destinations. Since early 1990s the dedicated connection flights to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport were inaugurated and this brought southern Taiwan travelers much convenience: they can transit in the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport where much more international flights are available. Meantime, direct flights to Southeast Asia cities were also gradually opened, because it made no sense for southern Taiwan travelers to travel to the northern Taoyuan and then flew southward. These contributed to a steady growth in airport passenger/flight movements and a new terminal dedicated for international flights was opened in 1997.

In summer 1998 EVA Air opened direct flight from Kaohsiung to Los Angeles but it was stopped only 3 months later due to low ridership. Northwest Airlines also ever served to this airport, operating from Kansai Airport (1999~2001) and Narita Airport (2002~2003). These 2 routes were separately suspended due to the low load factor caused by the September 11, 2001 attacks and SARS.

After the Taiwan High Speed Rail's inauguration in January 2007, the Kaohsiung airport suffers a great loss in passenger/flight movements: the Taiwan High Speed Rail and record high cost of jet fuel are eating up most load factors to Taipei Songshan Airport and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (frequent buses link the Taoyuan Airport and the High Speed Rail Taoyuan Station). Some carriers dropped the 2 routes while other carriers reduce flights. Carriers put their hopes on the increasing charter flights to Japan, as well as the possible direct flights to mainland China promised by President Ma Ying-jeou.

[edit] Terminals

Interior of the domestic terminal departure area
Interior of the domestic terminal departure area
Interior of the international terminal
Interior of the international terminal

Kaohsiung International Airport has two terminals: one domestic and one international.

The domestic terminal was built in 1965 when the airport was first opened as a civilian airport. Through the years, it has undergone numerous small expansions and improvements, but jet bridges were never added. For the most part this is acceptable since the domestic terminal mostly serves smaller planes that cannot use jet bridges. The current domestic terminal building also served international flights before the opening of the new international terminal in 1997.

The international terminal opened in 1997 and all gates have jet bridges. It serves all international flights and connecting flights to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. Connecting passengers proceed through immigration in Kaohsiung and do not need to repeat the procedure in Taoyuan, avoiding congestions in Taoyuan and saving much time between flights. Like many modern airport terminals, the building has a high ceiling in the check-in area and its exterior uses glass panels extensively. The floor area for the international terminal is 3 times more than that of the domestic terminal.

[edit] Airlines

Far Eastern Air Transport airliner at Kaohsiung Airport
Far Eastern Air Transport airliner at Kaohsiung Airport

[edit] Domestic

[edit] International

[edit] International Charter

China Airlines and Uni Air operate charters from Kaohsiung to many Japanese cities including Asahigawa, Hakodate, Sapporo, Hanamaki, Obihiro, Nagasaki and Kumamoto, mostly during long vacations.

[edit] Cargo

[edit] Terminated

[edit] Ground Transportation

Several city bus lines serve the airport. The airport is also accessible by Kaohsiung MRT. Travelers can also transfer to Taiwan High Speed Rail Zuoying Station via the MRT red line.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ {{cite web|url=http://www.immigration.gov.tw/immigration/filesystem/news_doc/area_in.htm|title=Repubic of China Immigration Bureau Statistics}

[edit] External links

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Airports in Taiwan
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Kaohsiung International Airport • Taichung Airport • Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport
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See also: Civil Aeronautics Administration • Category:Airports in Taiwan
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