Maroc - TAIWANTODAY.TW - Taiwan Review - 01/Feb 00:00

Top Flight

Taiwan’s award-winning airlines and airport terminals speed international travelers smoothly onward. With the trial opening of the Terminal 3 northern boarding concourse, Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport achieves another milestone. (Courtesy Of TTIA)It has been an exciting season for the air travel industry in Taiwan, which has reached new heights as one of the top regional air travel and tourism centers. Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s (TTIA) Terminal 3 complex, slated for completion in 2027, opened its northern boarding concourse for trial operation Dec. 1, featuring flight departures by Taiwan-based China Airlines, EVA Air and Starlux Airlines. New routes are being inaugurated at TTIA, with China Airlines Flight 36 taking off for Phoenix, Arizona, Dec. 3, the first in Asia to directly connect to the southwest U.S., and at the end of last year Starlux announced that direct service from Taichung City to Tokyo would begin March 30. The gateway to Taiwan since its opening in 1979, TTIA ranked No. 13 globally according to an Airports Council International (ACI) assessment of the busiest airports by international passenger traffic in 2024, and the airport is sure to move up the list once Terminal 3 is completed next year. The facility is expected to process 20 million passengers annually, pushing the airport’s total capacity to 57 million. TTIA, located about 40 kilometers west of Taipei City, has also been recognized for the high quality of its service. Skytrax, a London-based consultancy that reviews airports and airlines worldwide, rates it highly in multiple categories including cleanliness, baggage delivery and immigration service. Last year both EVA Air and Starlux were awarded Skytrax’s five-star airline certification, with the former winning the honor for the tenth consecutive year.Themed boarding lounges at TTIA add a sense of fun to travel and spotlight Taiwanese culture and nature. (Courtesy Of TTIA) Rising Standards TTIA organizes the Taoyuan Airport Forum to enhance airport service quality-and passengers’ airport experiences-through international exchanges. In 2025 more than 200 professionals attended the event, including representatives of Japanese, Thai and U.S. airports, as well as industry organizations like ACI. TTIA has also adopted measures such as hiring mystery shoppers who evaluate the airport, from service at customs to restroom management. The airport has inspected and optimized a system of 998 digital displays at Terminals 1 and 2 in the past two years to make them more user friendly and aesthetically pleasing.Multifunctional fixtures in the northern boarding concourse incorporate Wi-Fi routers, air vents and lighting. (Courtesy Of TTIA)Terminal 3 is an important part of TTIA’s future, not least because of the benefits to Taiwanese airlines using it as their main hub. “The airport’s increased capacity to handle larger transit passenger numbers due to Terminal 3 is a boon to Starlux in actively expanding international routes,” said the airline’s Chief Strategy Officer Simon Liu (劉允富). EVA Air Chief Executive Vice President Liao Chi-wei (廖至維) noted that the new terminal not only substantially enhances the competitiveness of airlines but also elevates the status of the airport as a regional and global aviation hub. Designed by British firm RSHP, the terminal architecture is inspired by Taiwan’s geography, flora and fauna. The wave-like roof emulates ocean currents and seabirds spreading their wings. The 16 steel pillars that support the roof echo the ancient giant trees found in Taiwan’s high-altitude cloud forest, while plants on the structure’s external walls evoke terraced rice paddies.As a working space, the terminal combines efficiency and aesthetics in ergonomic design, with 1,488 sets of ceiling fixtures that gracefully integrate lighting, air-conditioning vents, a public address system, smoke detectors and Wi-Fi base stations. The Multi-Aircraft Ramp System, the first in Taiwan, allows an airport gate to flexibly serve either one wide-bodied plane or two narrow-bodied planes simultaneously. This smart engineering can reduce delays and congestion on the tarmac, decrease reliance on shuttle buses and shorten plane downtime. Terminal 3, shown in a computer-generated image, is expected to increase TTIA’s processing capacity to 57 million passengers annually. (Courtesy Of TTIA)Soft Touch In addition to the smooth hardware operation that allowed TTIA to welcome 84 percent of all international passengers visiting Taiwan by air in 2024, the human experience offered by Taiwanese airlines plays a vital part in cultivating goodwill. “Taiwanese ground and flight staff are both very approachable and detail oriented when providing services. The combination always impresses passengers,” said Wan Guang-man (萬光滿‮‬), associate professor at the Department of Airline and Transport Service Management at National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism. She added that the outstanding performance of all three major Taiwan airlines last year in Skytrax’s cleanliness category—with EVA Air named the cleanest—testifies to these carriers’ quality of service.Steamed dumplings prepared by world-renowned restaurant Din Tai Fung are served in EVA Air’s business class on selected routes. (Courtesy of EVA Air)An EVA Air flight staff member receives on-the-job training. (Courtesy of EVA Air)Diverse and locally inspired food is one of the components that contribute to the strong reputation of Taiwanese airlines. EVA Air’s steamed dumplings provided by world-renowned restaurant chain Din Tai Fung have captivated gourmets flying business class on selected routes since 2002. China Airlines has long demonstrated inclusivity by offering high-quality plant-based meals in collaboration with such partners as the 2025 Michelin Guide to Taiwan-listed Little Tree Food. Dishes from the vegetarian restaurant became available to passengers on the carrier’s long-haul flights last October. Starlux offers Taiwanese cuisine made by another Michelin-recognized restaurant, Yuen Ji. Business class passengers on Starlux Airlines enjoy meals provided by Taiwanese restaurants in the Michelin guide. (Courtesy of Starlux Airlines)Starlux takes delivery of the largest wide-body plane in its fleet in early 2026, allowing the carrier to expand international routes. (Courtesy of Starlux Airlines)Taiwanese airlines are active users of sustainable aviation fuel. (Courtesy of EVA Air)Flying Green In line with growing awareness of the need to cut carbon emissions, airlines are actively responding. “We examine and implement every means possible to move in a sustainable direction, replacing aging aircraft with more energy-efficient models, digitizing in-flight publications and reducing layers of paint on the jets to lower their weight,” said Liao. EVA Air is the first Taiwan airline to use AeroSHARK, a biomimetic surface film akin to the texture of shark skin that saves fuel by reducing aerodynamic drag. Taiwanese airlines are also beginning to use sustainable aviation fuel made from sources like recycled oil and agricultural biowaste.On the ground TTIA’s jetways are another means by which the airport supports airlines’ green practices. A project begun in 2012 replaced passenger boarding bridges with newer models equipped with cables and hoses to deliver electricity and cooled air to planes parked at gates. No longer do planes at TTIA rely on auxiliary power units on the aircraft or fossil fuel-powered service trucks during passenger boarding and offloading.Electric baggage tractors at TTIA contribute to the facility’s lower need for fossil fuels. (Courtesy Of TTIA)The annual Taoyuan Airport Forum hosted by TTIA boosts airport exchanges to improve service quality. (Courtesy Of TTIA)A plane receives electrical power and cooled air through a jetway while parked at a TTIA gate. (Courtesy of TTIA)In 2016 TTIA reached Level 2 of the Airport Carbon Accreditation program launched by ACI Europe. It adopted further carbon-reduction measures that led the airport to move up to Level 3 in 2019 and Level 4 last year, the highest in the accreditation system. Aside from upgrading jetways, it has expanded infrastructure to support the use of sustainable fuel for airlines and transitioned shuttle buses and baggage tractors to electric alternatives. “We congratulate TTIA for its significant strides in reducing carbon emissions, setting a benchmark for airports across the region,” said Stefano Baronci, director general of ACI Asia-Pacific and Middle East. “Its approach aligns with our industry’s collective vision of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.” Taiwan’s largest airport, as well as the three major Taiwanese airlines that make it their base of operations, is friendly not only to passengers but to the environment, offering extra appeal for visitors who wish to travel both responsibly and with ease. Write to Oscar Chung at mhchung@mofa.gov.tw