Sungshan Airport

Taipei International Airport (Songshan Airport) 臺北國際航空站

IATA: TSA – ICAO: RCSS
Summary
Airport type		Public & Military
Operator		Civil Aeronautics Administration Ministry of National Defense
Serves		Taipei
Location		Songshan District, Taipei, Republic of China (Taiwan)
Elevation AMSL		5 m / 18 ft
Coordinates		25°4′10″N 121°33′6″E / 25.06944°N 121.55167°E / 25.06944; 121.55167
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	m	ft	Surface
10/28	2,605	8,547	Paved
Statistics (2007)
Number of passengers			4,470,859
Total Cargo (metric tonnes)			13,115.3

Taipei Songshan Airport

Traditional Chinese

臺北松山機場 or 台北松山機場

Simplified Chinese

台北松山机场

Transliterations
Mandarin
- Hanyu Pinyin	Táiběi Sōngshān Jīchǎng

Taipei Songshan Airport (IATA: TSA, ICAO: RCSS) (traditional Chinese: 臺北松山機場 or traditional Chinese: 台北松山機場) is a midsize commercial airport and military airbase located in Songshan, Taipei, Taiwan. The airport covers an area of 182 hectares (1.82 km).

Taipei Songshan Airport - Terminal 2.
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Taipei Songshan Airport - Songshan Airport observation deck
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Taipei Songshan Airport
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The civilian portion of Songshan Airport, formally Taipei International Airport (traditional Chinese: 台北國際航空站 or traditional Chinese: 臺北國際航空站, pinyin: Táiběi Gúojì Hángkōngzhàn), has scheduled flights serving the Taiwan Area and mainland China, with international flights out of the Taipei area served by Taoyuan International Airport.

Songshan Airport is also the base of certain Republic of China Air Force units, formally the Songshan Base Command (traditional Chinese: 空軍松山基地). The Songshan Base Command's main mission is to serve the President and Vice President of the Republic of China.

History

The airport has its origins as a Japanese military airbase, the Matsuyama Airdrome, during Japanese rule. After World War II, in 1946, it was taken over by the Republic of China Air Force. Before the end of the Chinese Civil War and the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the airport provided flight routes between Shanghai and Taipei, occasionally via Fuzhou.

Taipei Songshan Airport - 1950
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Shared military and civilian use—both domestic and international—began on April 16, 1950 in the reconstructed Civil Aeronautics Administration Taipei Airport (traditional Chinese: 交通部民用航空局台北航空站). Domestic destinations have been Kaohsiung, Hualien, Taichung, Makung, and Tainan. The first international destinations were Seattle, Tokyo, Pusan, Manila, Bangkok, and Hong Kong. The first international airlines included Northwest Airlines, Pan American Airlines, and Hong Kong Airways (now Cathay Pacific). Later, the airport became too small to handle an increased number of passengers, even after a series of expansions. This later worsened when new wide-body jets became common at the airport. Therefore, all international activities were relocated to Chiang Kai-shek International Airport (now Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport) after its inauguration on February 26, 1979.

Service to Taichung and Chiayi was stopped in mid-2007 after the load factor dropped significantly due to Taiwan High Speed Rail start of revenue service in January 2007. Also because of this, starting from March 1, 2008, Uni Air suspended its service to Kaohsiung, and Far Eastern Air Transport suspended its service to Tainan. TransAsia Airways decided to stop flights to Tainan and Kaohsiung after August 1, 2008.

Civil Air Transport flight at Songshan Airport in 1966.

In early 1999 when the construction of Taipei 101 had just started, Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration changed this airport's certain SID and STAR procedures to avoid possible collision with the building. The 677-meter Fuxing North Road Underground Passage (復興北路車行地下道) was constructed between 1997 and 2006 under this airport's runway to link the north and south side of this airport.

Regular cross-strait charter flights to mainland China started on July 4, 2008, with Songshan receiving the majority of flights. The adjacent, unused Terminal 2 was refurbished to accommodate arriving flights while the main Terminal, now Terminal 1, was rearranged to handle increased passenger traffic.

Direct flights to mainland China was an issue of contention. Then-mayor Ma Ying-jeou had been pressing to make Songshan Airport Taipei's main cross-strait terminal, citing that its location close to the city center would make it preferable for business travelers. However, building height restrictions around the airport raised concerns about flight safety, blocking of radio communications, noise pollution, and a reduced number of flights.

International potential

Songshan Airport is seen to have the potential to attract business travelers within Pacific Asia due to its location in downtown Taipei. Flights to Bangkok-Don Mueang, Jakarta-Halim, Kuala Lumpur-Subang Airport, Nagoya-Komaki, Osaka-Itami, Seoul-Gimpo, and Tokyo-Haneda are especially attractive since these airports are also in the central areas of their respective cities, and all these cities have larger far flung international airports. The airport is currently in the process of expansion to better accommodate international flights.

This kind of "city-to-city" flights have already been established between Seoul-Gimpo and Tokyo-Haneda, and between Shanghai-Hongqiao and Tokyo-Haneda. Seoul to Tokyo direct flights in particular, take only 1/3 the total travel time over their international counterparts (from 4.5 hrs to 1.5), when ground transport is included.

On March 6, 2009, Japan and Taiwan signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the revision of Taiwan-Japan bilateral traffic. Four carriers (EVA Air, China Airlines, Japan Airlines and ANA) will be able to operate from Songshan Airport to Tokyo-Haneda.

In December 2009, an affirmative schedule for the route between Tokyo-Haneda and Taipei-Songshan was announced. Starting in October, 2010, EVA Air, China Airlines, Japan Airlines, and ANA will each operate two flights a day from Taipei-Songshan to Tokyo-Haneda, with China Airlines and EVA Air using the A330-300 and the A330-200 respectively. Japan Airlines and ANA are expected to operate this route with the Boeing 767.

Starting in 2010, Taipei Songshan Airport resumes using its previous name, Taipei International Airport, and reestablishes its international airport status. On June 14, 2010, direct flights between Taipei-Songshan and Shanghai-Hongqiao began. Each week has 28 flights, served by China Eastern Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Air China, China Airlines, EVA Air, and TransAsia Airways. The airport will undergo upgrades to its runway and reduce its jet bridge from eight to six (due to lack of space) to accommodate Airbus A330 and Boeing 767.

Proposal to close the airport

The continuing growth of Taipei City means that Songshan airport is nowadays situated in the heart of downtown. Compared to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Songshan Airport saves travelers about 30 minutes due to its location inside Taipei City's central business district, but the city suffers from the noise, pollution, restrictions on urban planning, and traffic congestion the airport brings about. In the 2002 and 2006 Taipei Mayor Election DPP candidates Ying-yuan Lee and Frank Hsieh both proposed the plan to close Songshan Airport, and developed its land into road, huge park, detention basin and sports arena, since the Taiwan High Speed Rail could quickly take up the traffic load between Taipei and western Taiwan cities, and the remaining service to outlying islands and eastern Taiwan could be easily taken over by the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport after the completion of Taoyuan International Airport Access MRT System in early 2014. Also, the MRT system will make the international potential of Songshan airport less attractive.

The Songshan Airport closing proposal was deferred under the Taipei City Government which has long been dominated by the Pan-Blue Coalition, who prefers the downtown airport connection concept with Beijing, Seoul, and Tokyo.

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations
Air China	Shanghai-Hongqiao
All Nippon Airways	Tokyo-Haneda [begins 31 October]
China Airlines	Shanghai-Hongqiao , Tokyo-Haneda [begins 31 October]
China Eastern Airlines	Nanchang, Shanghai-Hongqiao
EVA Air	Shanghai-Hongqiao , Tokyo-Haneda [begins 31 October]
Japan Airlines	Tokyo-Haneda [begins 31 October]
Mandarin Airlines	Kaohsiung, Kinmen, Makung
Shanghai Airlines	Shanghai-Pudong, Shanghai-Hongqiao
Sichuan Airlines	Chengdu, Chongqing
TransAsia Airways	Chengdu, Da Nang, Fuzhou, Hangzhou, Hualien, Kinmen, Makung, Qingdao, Shanghai-Hongqiao , Shanghai-Pudong, Tianjin, Wuhan
Uni Air	Hengchun, Kinmen, Makung, Matsu-Beigan, Matsu-Nangan, Pingtung, Taitung, Xiamen
Xiamen Airlines	Fuzhou, Xiamen

Ground Transportation

Taipei Metro Songshan Airport Station platform.

Rail: The airport is served by the Taipei Metro Neihu Line's Songshan Airport Station.
Bus: Several city buses also serve this airport, providing frequent links to Taipei Metro's Danshui Line and Wenshan Line.

Accidents and Incidents

On 7 October 1974, a Vickers Viscount of Far Eastern Air Transport was the subject of an attempted hijacking. The hijacker was overpowered and the aircraft landed at its intended destination of Taipei Songshan Airport.
On 1 February 1975, Vickers Viscount PK-RVM of Mandala Airlines was damaged beyond economic repair when it overran the runway.
On 31 July 1975, Vickers Viscount B-2029 of Far Eastern Air Transport crashed killing 27 of the 75 people on board.

Future Developments

Due to the introduction of cross-strait flights and future international potential, the airport is undergoing extensive renovations, the first phase of which is expected to be completed by October 2010. The second and third phase renovations are expected to be completed by March and October 2011, respectively. A new international cargo terminal is being built in anticipation of a new air route between Taiwan and Japan.

Taipei Songshan Airport
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Taipei Songshan Airport
Click to enlarge

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General Info
Country	Taiwan
ICAO ID	RCSS
Time	UTC+8
Latitude	25.069722 25° 04' 11.00" N
Longitude	121.552500 121° 33' 09.00" E
Elevation	18 feet 5 meters
Type	Civil
Magnetic Variation	003° W (07/06)
Beacon	Yes
Operating Agency	CIVIL GOVERNMENT, (LANDING FEES AND DIPLOMATIC CLEARANCE MAY BE REQUIRED)
Near City	Taipei

Communications
TWR	118.1 126.3 236.6 275.8
GND 2300-0900Z	121.9
CLNC DEL 2300-0900Z	121.2
ATIS 2200-1500Z	127.4 341.0
TAIPEI APP	119.7 119.6 125.1 228.0 251.3
Communications Remarks
ATIS	D-ATIS avbl.

Runways
ID	Dimensions	Surface	PCN	ILS
10/28	8578 x 197 feet 2615 x 60 meters	ASPHALT	-	YES

Navaids
Type	ID	Name	Channel	Freq	Distance From Field	Bearing From Navaid
TACAN	LKU	SUNGSHAN	092X	-	6.8 NM	096.9
VOR-DME	APU	ANPU	072X	112.5	6.6 NM	169.3
NDB	LU	LU	-	357	9.9 NM	256.7

Supplies/Equipment
Fuel	Jet A1, without icing nhibitor. 100/130 octane gasoline, leaded, MIL-L-5572F (GREEN)
Oil	O-117, 1100, Reciprocating Engine Oil (MIL L 6082) O-117+, 1100, O-117 plus cyclohexanone (MIL L 6082) O-128, 1100,(Dispersant)Reciprocating Engine Oil(MIL L 22851 Type II) O-149, Aircraft Turbine Engine Synthetic 7.5c St O-156, MIL L 23699 (Synthetic Base)Turboprop/Turboshaft Engine

Remarks
CAUTION	Hi risk to opr. Hi terrain 3.1 NM SE of rwy affects arr and dep in all drct. 150' smokestacks 2000' ESE of Rwy 28. 1700' bldg 2.5 NM, 150 brg fr thld Rwy 10 and 2.1 NM, 184 brg fr Rwy 28. 700' bldg 1.8 NM, 184 brg fr Rwy 10. 33' Flood wall 820' E of Rwy 28. Use extreme caution dur dep due to hi terra in N, E, and S of arpt. Fly tfc pat S of rwy due to hi terrain and rstd area N of arpt. Ngt opr haz due to poor lgt, congestion, unctl veh, and unlgtd obst. FOD haz in all prk areas. Remain well clear of preceding acft.
FUEL	Ctc the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), duty hr fone, C886 2784 2336, OT, C886 2709 3013. (NC-100, A1)
LGT	PAPI Rwy 10 MEHT 65', Rwy 28 PAPI MEHT 65'.
MISC	No US mil OPS/wx/aerospace gnd eqpt. All aircrews use ICAO NOTAM fac/off island sources. For assistance ctc the (AIT), address 7, Lane 134, Hsin Yi Road, Section 3, Taipei, Taiwan, duty hr fone, C886 2784 2336, OT, C886 2709 3013. Ltd PAX stairs. Acft arr or dep OT, arng handling at std coml rates by calling TASCO DSN 723-2643 not later than prev day dur abv hr. CAF Base OPS rqr copy of inbd flt plan to close out. Chinese security rqr issuance of work pass fr Chinese OPS prior to going to acft. Taxi pro tkof req stop at twy guard post unless cleared to proceed by guard. Peak tfc periods are 0300-0500Z and 0800-1000Z. Crew should plan arr to avoid these times when possible. See FLIP PLANNING AP/3.
NS ABTMT	See PLANNING AP/3.
RSTD	PPR 96 hr IAW FCG exc emerg. Max tkof wt 650,000 lbs, max ldg 520,000 lbs. U-turns on apron are proh.
TRAN ALERT	Ltd RON prk on main ramp. Ltd contract tran alert avbl 2200-1500Z dly. No US miltran alert maint svc.

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