Taipei Mayor stresses Songshan Airport relocation must factor in future needs

The Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, and Keelung Cooperation and Exchange Platform held a meeting in Taoyuan today. In his remarks, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an stated that the proposal to relocate Songshan Airport will be discussed with the central government, but the evaluation should not be based solely on current conditions; rather, it should consider long-term future needs. Songshan Airport, located in Taipei’s Songshan District, has served as Taipei’s primary domestic hub since the 1940s. However, due to rising population density, increasing flight volumes, and the appreciation of land values in the surrounding area, the airport has become a focal point for traffic bottlenecks and urban space utilization. Over the past several decades, the government has repeatedly proposed plans to relocate or renovate Songshan Airport, driven by concerns including limited expansion capacity, noise issues affecting nearby residential areas, and conflicts between terminal operations and urban traffic.

Chiang emphasized that relocating Songshan Airport is not merely a short-term traffic adjustment but a critical element in Taipei’s future urban planning and economic development. If the assessment is based only on current flight volumes, airport capacity, and immediate costs, it will overlook aviation demand, changes in urban demographic structures, and cross-border logistics needs over the next decade or two. As the economic core of northern Taiwan, Taipei could unlock urban land resources by relocating Songshan Airport to a suitable site, thereby facilitating the integration of high-tech industrial clusters, smart city initiatives, and green transportation networks.

Furthermore, Chiang noted that the decision to relocate the airport requires coordination with the central government and must align with national policies on transportation, energy, and environmental protection. The central government’s “National Transportation Policy Outline” explicitly advocates for the coordination between air transport and urban spatial planning, encouraging local and central governments to jointly develop relocation proposals. Chiang stated that the municipal government will base its approach on long-term planning, convening experts from aviation, urban planning, and environmental protection sectors to conduct demand forecasting, cost-benefit analyses, and environmental impact assessments. The city will also ensure broad consensus on the relocation plan through public consultations and opinion polls.

As the meeting concluded, Chiang urged the Taipei, New Taipei, and Taoyuan regions, along with relevant agencies, to view the relocation of Songshan Airport as a long-term, cross-departmental collaborative project. He stressed that this is not merely a burden for a single city but an opportunity to enhance the overall competitiveness of the northern region. A successful relocation would provide Taipei with more spacious urban areas, reduce noise and air pollution, and offer a superior node for integrating multimodal transport systems, including the high-speed rail, metro, and bus networks. This would further strengthen Taipei’s central position in international aviation and logistics chains, holding profound significance for boosting the economic competitiveness of northern Taiwan and the entire nation. (Source: CNA)