Kaohsiung International Airport
| Kaohsiung International Airport 高雄國際航空站 |
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IATA: KHH – ICAO: RCKH
 KHH
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| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Operator | Civil Aeronautics Administration | ||
| Serves | Kaohsiung | ||
| Hub for | |||
| Elevation AMSL | 31 ft / 9 m | ||
| Coordinates | 22°34′37″N 120°21′00″E / 22.57694°N 120.35000°E | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 09/27 | 10,335 | 3,150 | Concrete |
| Statistics (2010) | |||
| Number of passengers | 4,052,758 (2,010) | ||
| Total cargo (metric tonnes) | 63,842.9 (2,010) | ||
| Source: Kaohsiung International Airport[1] | |||
Kaohsiung International Airport (traditional Chinese: officially, 高雄國際航空站; commonly, 高雄國際機場; simplified Chinese: 高雄国际航空站／高雄国际机场; pinyin: Gāoxióng guójì hángkōngzhàn/Gāoxióng guójì jīchǎng) (IATA: KHH, ICAO: RCKH), also known as Kaohsiung Siaogang Airport (traditional Chinese: 高雄小港機場; simplified Chinese: 高雄小港机场; pinyin: Gāoxióng xiǎogǎng jīchǎng) 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 and accounts for around 15% of international passenger movements in Taiwan.[2]
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History [edit]
Originally built as an Imperial Japanese Navy Air Squadron base in 1938 during the Taiwan under Japanese rule era, Kaohsiung Airport retained its military purpose when the Republic of China government first took control of Taiwan. Due to the need for civil transportation in southern Taiwan, the airport was demilitarized and converted into a domestic civil airport in 1965, and further upgraded to an international airport in 1969, with regular international flights starting in 1972.
During 1970s and 1980s, direct international flights were rare in Siaogang Airport, with Hong Kong and Tokyo being the only two destinations. Since early 1990s, dedicated connection flights to Chiang Kai-shek International Airport, now as Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, were inaugurated, and this brought southern Taiwan travelers much convenience; they can transit via the Chiang Kai-shek International Airport where there was a higher availability of international flights. In the meantime, direct flights to South-east Asia cities were also gradually opened. This reduced the inconvenience that travelers in southern Taiwan needed to travel to the Taoyuan in the north before flying south. These contributed to a steady growth in airport passenger and flight movements. New terminal dedicated to international flights was opened in 1997 to handle the additional flights.
In summer 1998, EVA Air opened a direct flight between Kaohsiung and Los Angeles, but it was discontinued only three months later due to low ridership. Northwest Airlines also served Siaogang Airport, operating from Kansai Airport from 1999 to 2001, and Narita Airport from 2002 to 2003. These two 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 suffered great losses in passenger/flight movements; the Taiwan High Speed Rail and record-high costs 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 THSR Taoyuan Station). Some carriers dropped the two routes while other carriers reduced flights. Carriers now pin their hopes on the increasing flights to Japan, China and Korea.
Terminals [edit]
Kaohsiung International Airport has two terminals – domestic and international. They are connected by corridor way.
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 primarily serves smaller planes that do not require the use of 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 three times more than that of the domestic terminal.
Airlines and destinations [edit]
International Charter Flights [edit]
Both China Airlines and Uni Air operate charter flights from Kaohsiung to many Japanese cities including Asahigawa, Hakodate, Sapporo, Hanamaki, Obihiro, Nagasaki and Kumamoto, mostly during long vacations.
Cargo airlines [edit]
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| China Airlines Cargo | Hong Kong, Manila, Taipei-Taoyuan |
Accidents and incidents [edit]
- On February 15, 1969, Douglas C-47B B-241 of Far Eastern Air Transport was damaged beyond economic repair in an accident at Kaohsiung International Airport.[4]
- On June 27, 1989, an Cessna 404 Titan of Formosa Airlines on its way to Wang-an, Penghu crashed into nearby Cianjhen District streets shortly after taking off. All 12 people on board were killed, but no ground casualties.[5]
Ground Transportation [edit]
- MRT(Subway): Kaohsiung MRT red line's Kaohsiung International Airport Station serves this airport, with outlets in both international and domestic terminals. Passengers can also make use of the Kaohsiung MRT Red Line to access Taiwan Railway Administration's Kaohsiung Station and Taiwan High Speed Rail's Zuoying Station.
- Bus: Several city bus lines serve the airport. Long distance bus to Kenting National Park, Sinying and Chiayi are also available. Bus stops are located under the corridor way between domestic and international terminal.
- Car Rental: Car rental centers are located under the corridor way between domestic and international terminal. More car rental centers are available on the Jhongshan 4th Rd. (中山四路) outside this airport. From Jhongshan 4th Rd, the National Highway No. 1's Kaohsiung Terminus at 372 km is about 2 km away.
- Taxi: Available in both terminals.
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ "Operational Statistics". Kaohsiung International Airport. Retrieved 2011-07-05.
- ^ "Republic of China Immigration Bureau Statistics".
- ^ http://evaair.themecool.com/EVA_Route/route_en.html
- ^ "B-241 Accident Description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
- ^ [1]
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kaohsiung International Airport |
- Kaohsiung International Airport Official website
- Guide to Kaohsiung Airport
- Airport information for RCKH at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.
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