by Kevyn Kennedy

hiang Kai-Shek Airport has served Taiwan well in its lifetime. Opened in 1979, CKS replaced the old Chung Shan Airport in the center of Taipei as the international portal for Taiwan. Built on a large patch of land approximately 40 kilometers south of Taipei proper, CKS allowed large passenger jets to arrive safely in Taiwan replacing the white-knuckle approach into Chung Shan (older residents of Taipei claim they could use the jet exhaust to dry laundry on rooftop apartments) that ended on a short runway.

In 1979, a comparatively small number of passengers passed though the gates of Chiang Kai-Shek. Travel from Taiwan was illegal under martial law and travelers had to have a reason to leave such as to study or work abroad. Furthermore, Taiwan was becoming more and more isolated diplomatically as its strongest ally, the United States, withdrew recognition at the first of the year. Never a tourist trap, Taiwan lured few visitors and only a handful of businesspeople looking for cheap manufactured goods from the Third World.

Chiang Kai-Shek Airport was quite up to the task of servicing the two million passengers that passed through in 1979. But not anymore.

The two million travelers grew to twelve million by 1996 and by 1999, seventeen million people per year were coming in and out of Taiwan. Flights quadrupled in number then quadrupled again and CKS is today one of the busiest airports in Asia and the world.

No longer would the squat, three-story terminal that ushered people into and out of Taiwan be sufficient. Something had to be done.

Veteran travelers to Taipei might remember propaganda slogans upon disembarking, "Liberate the Mainland!", in Terminal One many years ago. Today visitors can enjoy beautiful hand carvings and wall murals celebrating the nine indigenous tribes of Taiwan.

"Terminal Two was opened for a few flights on July 28, and handled a full schedule on July 29," according to Wei Sheng-Chih, Deputy Managing Director of the Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport office. "It sits on 7.5 million square feet of land and there is room for 4,000 cars in the parking lot. Terminal Two can handle 10,000 passengers per day and we are still only using half the space available at Terminal Two. The South Concourse is open for business, and nine airlines have relocated."*

"Terminal Two will not be fully utilized for two more years, at which time the North Concourse will be functional," continued Wei. "Then the passenger load will be split pretty evenly between Terminal One and Terminal Two -- an estimated 30,000 passengers per day via each terminal." Currently, Terminal Two has ten gates opened, and in two years, ten more will be in play.

Terminal Two might have been conceived with the idea of sharing the load with Terminal One, but was designed with a whole different concept in mind. Terminal One is short and stout with low ceilings and few amenities. True, it is utilitarian and functional, but passengers rarely feel a trip through the ticket counters, customs checks, and concourses of Terminal One add pleasure or variety to their trips.

Terminal Two, on the other hand, is large, bright and airy. Think of the wide floor spaces of Hong Kong and the high, open ceilings of Los Angeles. Think of how the transparent ceilings of Hong Kong let in natural light and you will have a general impression of CKS Terminal Two. Think of how artwork, paintings, sculptures and murals add color and local flavor to the Seattle Airport and you will have an idea of the atmosphere created upon entering Terminal Two.

Veteran travelers to Taipei might remember propaganda slogans upon disembarking, "Liberate the Mainland!", in Terminal One many years ago and any culture being promoted was strictly Han Chinese. Today -- a reflection of changing political tides and acceptance of reality -- visitors can enjoy beautiful hand carvings and wall murals celebrating the nine indigenous tribes of Taiwan.

Of course, the amenities are in place. "Two Duty Free shops, three restaurants, three snack bars, more than ten stores (again placing an emphasis on traditional Taiwanese products and artifacts), a business center with full internet connections," Wei Sheng-Chih ticks off the facilities. "We even have a transit hotel with twenty-one fully equipped rooms. When Terminal One was opened, there was no need for transit facilities, but there is now with Taiwan's growing role as a regional center for Asian business."

Are there drawbacks? Have there been problems? "Not really," assures Wei Sheng-Chih, "The only problems we had were passengers getting lost and not realizing their flights were leaving from Terminal Two. Everything else worked fine, the centralized computer system, the automated baggage handling…"

Everything is rosy according to Wei, however, this reporter did note one potential trouble spot: Public transportation arrives and leaves from Terminal One only, and it is too far to walk between the terminals. Free shuttle buses are provided every fifteen to 20 minutes between the two, however, it might be wise to allow for a little extra time when departing just in case.

What does the future hold? Remember this is Taiwan. More growth!

"Terminal Three will be under construction in about eight years," says Wei Sheng-Chih. "But we will probably not add more international flights. We will probably convert Terminal One to a domestic port only and utilize Terminals Two and Three for international flights."

A new runway will be added in addition to the new terminal that will give CKS three runways. By contrast Narita in Japan has one runway and the new Hong Kong Airport two.

Does Taiwan really need all that space? Possibly so, but might the proposed expansion have to do with the possibility of direct air links to China? Wei Sheng-Chih flatly denies this, but the space is certainly available, the idea tempting.

In any event, the new Terminal Two is now a reality -- a glass and concrete monument not only to air travel but also to Taiwan's ascendancy into the realm of developed nations. Certainly a first-class facility.

*The airlines currently using Terminal Two are: Evergreen, Air Nippon, Air New Zealand, Air Canada, Canadian Airlines International, Continental Airlines, British Asia Airways, Qantas Airlines, and American Airlines.