History
In the 1970s, the original airport in Taipei City — Taipei Songshan Airport — had become overcrowded and could not be expanded due to space limitations. Thus, a new airport was planned to alleviate congestion. The new airport opened (with Terminal 1) on February 26, 1979, as part of the Ten Major Construction Projects pursued by the government in the 1970s. The airport was originally planned under the name Taoyuan International Airport but was later changed to Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in memory of former President Chiang Kai-shek.
The airport is the main hub of China Airlines, the ROC's flag carrier, as well as EVA Air, a private airline established in the early 1990s. Overcrowding of the airport in recent years prompted the construction of Terminal 2, which was opened on July 29, 2000, with half of its gates operational; EVA Air was the first airline to move into Terminal 2. The remaining gates opened on January 21, 2005 for China Airlines. There are plans for the construction of a third terminal, which will be built to alleviate congestion in Terminals 1 and 2.
In January 2006, a Foreign Laborers' Service Center was set up to provide airport pick-up services and serve the needs of migrant workers. There are service desks in the Arrival lobby of Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, and in the Departure lobby of Terminal 1. Service hotlines in Vietnamese, Thai, English, and Indonesian are provided.
Read more about this topic: Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport
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