Amid the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, AECOM worked with Taoyuan International Airport Corporation (TIAC), engaging experts in aviation, transportation, economics and finance, to deliver a future-proof master plan for its ambition to become an aviation hub in East Asia.

As the gateway to Taiwan, Taoyuan International Airport was one of the busiest airports in East Asia before the pandemic hit its operations. Despite this unprecedented challenge, TIAC pushed forward to build for the future. With its planned third terminal and runway, Taoyuan International Airport is expected to expand by nearly 50 percent of its size within the next 20 years. AECOM’s team of experts around the globe delivered a comprehensive master plan which considered the airport’s strategic positioning and development plan for the Free Trade Zone and Aerotropolis, while solving its operation bottleneck with forethoughtful layout arrangements.

Operation with resilience

With consideration of the impact caused by the pandemic and economic instability in the early stage of the outbreak, AECOM started with the re-assessment of traffic trend and proposed the layout plan for the ultimate scenario with two satellite concourses and Automated People Movement (APM) System connection. This aims to accommodate the ambitious growth of 49 million passengers per annum in 2019 to 82 million in 2040, while also resolving the existing operation bottleneck.

The project team put together a phasing schedule that incorporated the proposed new facilities and ground transportation system with ongoing projects to ensure minimal disruption.

Plan for the future
In line with the national development policy, AECOM worked on development strategies that aim to establish Taoyuan International Airport as the “East Asia hub which brings flows of people, service and goods between Asia Pacific and North America together” while introducing “green,” “resilient” and “smart” concepts into the airport. With AECOM’s in-depth report, Taoyuan Airport will be able to optimize its airfield configuration, incorporate advanced initiatives into its operations and grow towards the goal of becoming one of Asia’s major hubs.