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Find out what are the main Taiwanese Airports around Formosa!
Information About International Airports in Taiwan
The modestly-sized island that is Taiwan contains altogether no more than about ten or so airports. Within that range, technically-speaking, only four can legitimately be considered “international”.
The biggest and most wide-ranging is Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, about 50km southwest of Taipei and the main hub for international travel to and from Taiwan.
Next in line is Kaohsiung International Airport, mirroring Taoyuan near the southwestern edge of the island.
There’s also Taichung International Airport in the central part of Taiwan, which has flights to China, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, and South Korea.
Finally, there is Songshan Airport in Taipei City, which is accessible via MRT but only offers regional flights to destinations in Asia.
Taoyuan International Airport in Northern Taiwan (TPE)
Taoyuan is a medium-sized county, and it houses Taiwan’s main international transit hub. It is occasionally and confusingly referred to as Chiang Kai-shek International Airport or CKS International Airport, but the controversial nature of the figure of Chiang Kai-shek seemed to justify a name change.
Although TPE is the biggest hub in Taiwan, it mostly serves Asian destinations and the American West Coast. The biggest carrier out of TPE is EVA Air, a Taiwanese company that offers a wider of variety of flights to and from European destinations, as well as Chicago in the US.
Still, if you are traveling from Europe or the US, it’s very possible that you’ll be making a stop in Tokyo, Seoul or Hong Kong on the way.
The airport is quite small by international standards, which makes it a comfy place to find yourself after a long flight. Don’t, however, expect any of the flashy three-story tall fountains or indoor palm trees that you get in other Asian airports.
Kaohsiung International Airport in Southern Taiwan (KHH)
Generally speaking, there are only a host of reasons that a traveler might end up traveling into or out of Kaohsiung’s Airport in Southern Taiwan.
Because traveling between Kaohsiung and Taipei takes a bit of time, some backpackers decide to land in one and leave from the other, saving time and money from Taiwan’s south to its north. The next obvious reason is if one has any special business in Kaohsiung, which has a relatively vibrant export economy (though it still pales in comparison to Taipei).
Flights originating at KHH are more or less totally limited to locations in Asia, with a dozen or so different locations in mainland China, as well as Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam and Cambodia. Fifteen percent of international travel in Taiwan goes through Kaohsiung’s airport.
Taichung International Airport in Central Taiwan (RMQ)
This is one of the worst airports in Taiwan. Why? There are lots of reasons…
First, it is soooooo far from Taichung City. It’s located in the countryside by the Taiwan Strait in Shalu District far from everything else. Unless you’re catching an early flight (before 6 am), you better allow one hour and a half to get to Taichung Airport from downtown Taichung City. If you are a Taichung resident and you have your own scooter, ride on Daya Road all the way to the airport.
Bring your own food at this Taiwanese airport! It’s ridiculous! There’s nothing to eat or drink at Taichung Airport. They don’t even sell coffee or tea! What else are you supposed to do while waiting to board your plane? Taichung Airport doesn’t look or feel like an international airport.
Taipei Songshan Airport in Taipei City (TSA)
In the Songshan District of Taipei, this airport was originally a Japanese military airbase. The noise pollution it emits is a favorite political point-maker for Democratic People’s Party (DPP) politicians, who frequently propose to close it down during election time.
In the past, Songshan Airport serviced only domestic destinations. Recently though, it has started offering a few international flights to select destinations in Asia. At present, the only destinations available are Shanghai and Tokyo, but further expansion is planned for the near future.
If you’re staying in Taipei, flying from Songshan Airport is quite a bit more convenient as it is accessible from the MRT, and is a much smaller airport than TPE.
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