Kaohsiung International Airport

Kaohsiung International Airport (高雄國際機場[b]) (IATA: KHH, ICAO: RCKH) is a medium-sized international airport in Siaogang District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, also known as Siaogang Airport (小港機場). With 4.2 million passengers in 2023, it was the third busiest airport in Taiwan, after Taoyuan and Songshan.[1] The airport has a single east–west runway and two terminals: one international and one domestic.

Kaohsiung International Airport

高雄國際航空站
Summary
Airport typePublic
Owner/OperatorCivil Aeronautics Administration
ServesKaohsiung
LocationSiaogang District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Opened1 July 1965; 59 years ago (1965-07-01)
Hub for
Elevation AMSL9 m / 30 ft
Coordinates22°34′37″N 120°21′00″E / 22.57694°N 120.35000°E / 22.57694; 120.35000
Map
KHH/RCKH is located in Kaohsiung
KHH/RCKH
KHH/RCKH
Location of airport in Kaohsiung
KHH/RCKH is located in Taiwan
KHH/RCKH
KHH/RCKH
Location of airport in Taiwan
KHH/RCKH is located in Southeast Asia
KHH/RCKH
KHH/RCKH
Location of airport in East Asia
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
09/27[a] 3,150 10,335 Concrete
Statistics (2023)
Number of passengers4,225,403 Increase241%
Aircraft movements40,516 Increase96.05%
Total cargo (metric tonnes)40,018.4 Decrease13.59%
Source: Civil Aeronautics Administration[1]
Kaohsiung International Airport
Traditional Chinese高雄國際機場
Simplified Chinese高雄国际机场
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinGāoxióng Gúojì Jīchǎng
Bopomofoㄍㄠ ㄒㄩㄥˊ ㄍㄨㄛˊ ㄐㄧˋ ㄐㄧ ㄔㄤˇ
Hakka
Pha̍k-fa-sṳKô-hiùng Koet-chi Kî-chhòng
Southern Min
Hokkien POJKo-hiông Kok-chè Ki-tiûⁿ
Siaogang International Airport
Traditional Chinese小港國際機場
Simplified Chinese小港国际机场
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinXiǎogǎng Guójì Jīchǎng
Bopomofoㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄍㄤˇ ㄍㄨㄛˊ ㄐㄧˋ ㄐㄧ ㄔㄤˇ
Hakka
Pha̍k-fa-sṳSéu-kóng Koet-chi Kî-chhòng
Southern Min
Hokkien POJSió-káng Kok-chè Ki-tiûⁿ

History

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Early years

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Originally built as an Imperial Japanese Army Air Squadron base in 1942 during the Japanese rule era of Taiwan,[2] Kaohsiung Airport retained its military purpose when the Republic of China government first took control of Taiwan in 1945. Due to the need for civil transportation in southern Taiwan, it was demilitarised and converted into a domestic civil airport in 1965, and further upgraded to the status an international airport in 1969, with regular international flights starting in 1972.[3]

During the 1970s and 1980s, direct international flights were rare at the airport, with Hong Kong and Tokyo being the only two destinations.[citation needed] Since the early 1990s, dedicated connection flights to Taipei were inaugurated, bringing convenience to the south as Taipei had more international flights. These contributed to a steady growth in airport passenger and flight movements. A new terminal dedicated to international flights was opened in 1997.[4]

In summer 1998, EVA Air opened a direct flight between Kaohsiung and Los Angeles, but it was discontinued only after six months.[5] Northwest Airlines operated the Kaohsiung–Osaka route from 1999 to 2001, and the Tokyo route from 2002 to 2003. These two routes were separately suspended due to the low load caused by the September 11 attacks and SARS outbreak. [citation needed]

Development since the 2000s

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After Taiwan High Speed Rail, the high speed rail line that runs between Taipei and Kaohsiung along Taiwan's western plains, began operation in January 2007, Kaohsiung Airport suffered large reduction in passenger and flight movements. The convenience of Taiwan High Speed Rail and record-high costs of jet fuel were eating up most load factors to Taipei, causing the eventual cessation of flights between cities on Taiwan's western plains. The last domestic flight between Taipei Songshan and Kaohsiung landed on 31 August 2012. The dedicated international connecting flight between Kaohsiung and Taoyuan stopped on 1 July 2017, after over thirty years of operation.

Since 2009, the number of passengers has been recovering due to the opening of regular scheduled cross-strait flights to China, as well as the rise of low cost carriers.[6]

Terminals

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Kaohsiung International Airport terminal building
 
Kaohsiung International Airport control tower

Kaohsiung International Airport has two terminals – domestic and international. They are connected by a corridor.

The domestic terminal was built in 1965 when the facility was first opened as a civilian airport.[citation needed] Through the years, it has undergone small expansions and improvements, but jet bridges have never been added. (The domestic terminal primarily serves smaller planes that do not require jet bridges.) The current domestic terminal building also served international flights before the opening of the new international terminal. The international terminal opened in 1997 and all gates have jet bridges. It serves all international and cross-strait flights to China. The floor area for the international terminal is three times larger than the domestic one.

Airlines and destinations

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AirlinesDestinations
Aero K Seoul–Incheon (begins 2 January 2025)[7]
AirAsia Kota Kinabalu,[8] Kuala Lumpur–International[9]
Air Busan Busan[10]
Air Macau Macau[11]
Batik Air Malaysia Kuala Lumpur–International,[12] Nagoya–Centrair[12]
Cathay Pacific Hong Kong[13]
Cebu Pacific Manila[14]
China Airlines Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi,[15] Hong Kong,[16] Kumamoto (resumes 3 February 2025),[17] Manila, Naha,[18] Osaka–Kansai,[19] Seoul–Gimpo,[20] Seoul–Incheon,[19] Shanghai–Pudong, Shenzhen,[21] Singapore,[22] Tokyo–Narita[19]
Charter: Takamatsu[23]
China Eastern Airlines Nanjing[24]
Daily Air Qimei,[citation needed] Wang-an[citation needed]
EVA Air Fukuoka,[25] Hong Kong,[26] Macau,[27] Osaka–Kansai,[28] Seoul–Incheon,[29] Shanghai–Pudong, Tokyo–Narita[28]
HK Express Hong Kong[30]
Jeju Air Busan,[31] Seoul–Gimpo (ends 30 December 2024)[32]
Juneyao Air Shanghai–Pudong[33]
Mandarin Airlines Hualien,[citation needed] Kinmen,[citation needed] Matsu–Nangan (ends 2 January 2025),[34] Penghu
Peach Osaka–Kansai,[35] Tokyo–Narita
Philippines AirAsia Manila[36]
Spring Airlines Shanghai–Pudong[37]
Thai AirAsia Bangkok–Don Mueang,[38] Tokyo–Narita[39]
Thai Airways International Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi[40]
Thai Lion Air Bangkok–Don Mueang, Naha (both begin 21 January 2025)[41]
Tigerair Taiwan Da Nang,[42] Fukuoka,[43] Macau,[27] Nagoya–Centrair,[43] Naha,[44] Okayama,[45] Osaka–Kansai,[46] Sapporo–Chitose (begins 21 January 2025),[47] Seoul–Gimpo,[48] Tokyo–Narita[43]
Charter: Phu Quoc[49]
T'way Air Seoul–Gimpo,[50] Seoul–Incheon[51]
Uni Air Kinmen,[citation needed] Penghu[citation needed]
United Airlines Tokyo–Narita (begins 11 July 2025)[52]
VietJet Air Da Nang,[53] Hanoi,[54] Ho Chi Minh City,[54] Phu Quoc[55]
Vietnam Airlines Hanoi,[56] Ho Chi Minh City[56]
XiamenAir Fuzhou,[57] Xiamen[58]

Statistics

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Annual passenger traffic at KHH airport. See Wikidata query.
Operations and statistics[59]
Year Passenger
movements
Airfreight
movements
(tons)
Aircraft
movement
2014 5,397,021 68,767.3 51,681
2015 6,001,487 63,030.8 55,685
2016 6,416,681 71,447.8 57,446
2017 6,479,183 81,555.3 51,768
2018 6,973,845 73,541.6 60,155
2019 7,506,753 64,676.8 64,015
2020 1,891,762 46,506.3 26,475
2021 836,594 57,087.3 16,317
2022 1,238,674 46,312.5 20,666
2023 4,225,403 40,018.4 40,516
Busiest international routes from Kaohsiung (2023)[60][61]
Rank Airport Passengers Carriers
1   Hong Kong 674,849 Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, HK Express
2   Osaka–Kansai 336,865 China Airlines, EVA Air, Tigerair Taiwan, Peach, Scoot
3   Tokyo–Narita 322,793 China Airlines, EVA Air, Tigerair Taiwan, Japan Airlines, Peach
4   Seoul–Incheon 234,470 China Airlines, EVA Air, Jeju Air, T'way Air
5   Ho Chi Minh City 196,369 Vietnam Airlines, VietJet Air
6   Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi 174,942 China Airlines, Thai Airways International
7   Hanoi 172,503 VietJet Air
8   Macau 122,573 EVA Air, Tigerair Taiwan, Air Macau
9   Shanghai–Pudong 113,492 China Airlines, EVA Air, Juneyao Air, Spring Airlines
10   Da Nang 87,127 Bamboo Airways, Tigerair Taiwan
Domestic routes from Kaohsiung (2023)[60][61]
Rank Airport Passengers Carriers
1 Penghu 848,972
2 Kinmen 407,277
3 Hualien 19,377
4 Qimei 16,318
5 Wang-an 1,718

Accidents and incidents

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  • On 23 July 2014, TransAsia Airways Flight 222 took off from Kaohsiung International Airport bound for Magong. The ATR 72-500 crashed into buildings during a second attempt to land in bad weather. Of the 58 people on board, only 10 survived. Five people on the ground were injured and the crash caused a fire involving two homes.[citation needed]

Ground transportation

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See also

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ ex-09L/27R
  2. ^ Official name in Chinese is 高雄國際航空站.

References

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  1. ^ a b "民航運輸各機場營運量-按機場分" (PDF). CAA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  2. ^ Hung, Chih-wen (2015). 不沈空母 : 台灣島內飛行場百年發展史 [The history of airfields and airports in Taiwan] (in Chinese). 洪致文. ISBN 9789574325153.
  3. ^ "History of Taiwan Kaohsiung Airport (KHH): Airport History and Facts, Kaohsiung Area, Taiwan". www.kaohsiung-khh.airports-guides.com. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  4. ^ "Kaohsiung International Airport". Travel King. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  5. ^ "1998: EVA Air Summer network". Routes. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  6. ^ "2016 Annual Report". kia.gov.tw. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
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  12. ^ a b "Batik Air Malaysia Plans Kaohsiung / Nagoya Feb 2024 Launch". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  13. ^ "Cathay Pacific NS24 A321neo Network – 10MAR24". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  14. ^ Salcedo, Dirk Andrei. "Cebu Pacific expands Taiwan reach with new Manila-Kaohsiung route". Aviation Updates Philippines. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
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  17. ^ "China Airlines Resumes Kaohsiung – Kumamoto in 1Q25".
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  19. ^ a b c China Airlines Northeast Asia NW22 Service Changes – 27OCT22 Aeroroutes. 27 October 2022.
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  33. ^ "Juneyao Airlines Resumes Shanghai – Kaohsiung Service in Feb 2023". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  34. ^ "Mandarin Airlines Extends Kaohsiung – Matsu Service to early-Jan 2025". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  35. ^ "Peach NS23 Taiwan Network Expansions". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  36. ^ Vibal, Leana (9 December 2022). "This Low-Cost Airline Is Flying Direct to Kaohsiung in 2023". SPOT.ph. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  37. ^ "Spring Airlines Resumes Shanghai – Kaohsiung Service From Jan 2024". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
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  40. ^ "Thai Airways International NW23 Taiwan Service Changes – 28AUG23". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  41. ^ "Thai Lion Air Plans Kaohsiung / Okinawa 1Q25 Launch". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  42. ^ "tigerair Taiwan Expands Vietnam Service in NS23". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  43. ^ a b c "tigerair Taiwan NW22 Operation Changes – 13OCT22". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  44. ^ "tigerair Taiwan Resumes Kaohsiung – Okinawa Service in 1Q24". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  45. ^ "tigerair Taiwan Adds Kaohsiung – Okayama in NW24t". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  46. ^ "tigerair Taiwan NS24 Operation Changes – 27FEB24". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  47. ^ "tigerair Taiwan Adds Kaohsiung – Sapporo in 1Q25". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  48. ^ "tigerair Taiwan Begins Kaohsiung – Seoul Gimpo Service in late-June 2023". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
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  50. ^ "T'Way Air Confirms Seoul Gimpo – Kaohsiung late-June 2024 Launch". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
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  53. ^ "VietJet Air Adds Da Nang – Kaohsiung in 1Q24". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  54. ^ a b "VietJet Air NS24 Asia Frequency Reductions – 14MAR24". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  55. ^ "VietJet Air Plans Phu Quoc – Kaohsiung From mid-June 2024". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  56. ^ a b "Vietnam Airlines NW23 International Network Overview/Changes – 08OCT23". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  57. ^ "Mainland Chinese Carriers NS23 International / Regional Network – 14MAY23". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  58. ^ "Xiamen Airlines resumes Kaohsiung Service from Late-Feb 2023". AeroRoutes. 3 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
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  63. ^ Formosa Airlines Archived 19 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Baaa-acro.com.
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