Chiang Wan-an shifts stance on Songshan Airport relocation amid rising debate

Since its opening in 1954, Songshan Airport has remained the only international airport located within downtown Taipei. In recent years, as the volume of flights has increased year by year, road traffic around the airport has also become increasingly congested, causing noise and air pollution issues within the urban area. Furthermore, due to limited aircraft parking space, it cannot meet the future development needs of the aviation industry; therefore, the government has long regarded the relocation and reconstruction of Songshan Airport as one of its key planning priorities. This project not only involves the spatial restructuring of the airport, but also implicates the entire Taipei City transportation network, land use, and economic development, making it a major cross-ministerial and cross-level public infrastructure issue.

Over the past four years, the Taipei City Government has successively held multiple thematic seminars and commissioned relevant units to conduct feasibility assessments, environmental impact surveys, and social cost-benefit analyses. Although these data have been made public to citizens on multiple occasions, due to the massive volume of information and numerous professional terms, the understanding of the assessment results among citizens and local councilors remains limited. More importantly, during the early stage of the election, Mayor Chiang Wan-an publicly expressed a reserved attitude toward the relocation and reconstruction of Songshan Airport, expressing concerns over relocation costs and the impact on residents' lives. However, with changes in urban planning and aviation demand, Mayor Chiang's stance has gradually shifted toward support, and he has elaborated on the reasons for his support on multiple public occasions.

To further clarify the reasons behind Mayor Chiang's shift in stance, Premier Cho Jung-tai formally requested Mayor Chiang during today's Executive Yuan meeting to provide the "reasons for changing from opposition to support for the relocation and reconstruction of Songshan Airport" and complete records of "the assessments and discussions related to the relocation and reconstruction of Songshan Airport conducted by the Taipei City Government over the past four years." This move aims to ensure the transparency and traceability of policy decision-making, while allowing the central government level to more accurately assess the professionalism and degree of responsibility of the local government on this issue. As an important platform for central decision-making, the Executive Yuan meeting will use these data to further discuss the feasibility, costs, and benefits of the relocation and reconstruction plan, and decide whether to commission relevant ministries and councils to conduct more in-depth reviews.

Behind Mayor Chiang's shift to support lie both local political considerations and practical demands for economic and social benefits. Supporting the relocation can alleviate traffic congestion in downtown Taipei, enhance air transport efficiency, and provide more opportunities for urban spatial restructuring; meanwhile, if environmental protection and community interests can be balanced during the relocation process, it will help enhance citizens' trust in the government. On the other hand, if the relocation progress is too rapid or costs spiral out of control, it may also trigger social protests and economic burdens, thereby affecting the stability of local governance. After reviewing the data, the Executive Yuan meeting will decide whether to incorporate the relocation and reconstruction plan into the central budget and establish corresponding oversight mechanisms based on national development, fiscal budgets, and the livelihood needs of the people.

The development of this incident not only concerns Songshan Airport itself, but also reflects the coordination and communication mechanisms between local governments and central agencies when Taipei City faces major national-level infrastructure projects. If open and transparent data sharing and professional assessments can be achieved, it will help reduce policy risks and improve the quality of decision-making. On the other hand, if the data lacks completeness or transparency is insufficient, it may provoke public skepticism toward government decision-making and even affect future elections and local governance. The outcome of this Executive Yuan meeting will serve as an important reference for Taipei City's future aviation and transportation planning, and will also have a long-term impact on Taiwan's overall urban development and aviation policy.