<B>Terminal Opens At CKS</B>
By Maria Lenhart
<I>Taiwan - </I>With the unveiling of CKS Terminal 2 on July 28, Taipei's Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport has doubled its passenger capacity. The new 900,000-sq.-ft. facility, more than a decade in the planning stages, is designed to handle up to 5,000 passengers per hour at peak times and up to 17 million a year.
At this point, however, the airlines--including American, British Airways, Air Canada, Continental, All Nippon Airways, Air New Zealand, EVA Air and Qantas, which have relocated to Terminal 2--handle only about 23 percent of all passenger traffic at the Chiang Kai-Shek airport.
The four-story terminal offers 17 gates, all equipped for the largest aircraft, including 10 in the main building and seven in a satellite location. On the third-floor Main Departure Hall are eight checkin islands, a 21-station passport control center, a transit lounge, shops and restaurants.
Services for business travelers in the new terminal are extensive, including a full-service business center, Internet salon, mobile phone rental, shower rooms, transit hotel rooms, travel information and car rental service counters, a medical clinic, airline VIP lounges and luggage storage.
The new terminal also features an automatic baggage handling system similar to the one at Kansai International Airport in Osaka. Controlled by computers, luggage is transferred automatically to its destination according to bar-coded luggage tags that are electronically scanned during key points in the system.
A complimentary shuttle bus provides transportation between the airport's two terminals. A people-mover system running between the two terminals is set for completion next year.
Still in the planning stages is an MRT rapid transit line that will run from downtown Taipei to a station located at Terminal 2.
Terminal 2 features a broad, open-space frame design that merges the roof and walls into one vast span. Public art is prominently displayed within the terminal's departure hall, including a series of giant sculptures, a full-size replica of a traditional Chinese courtyard and a gallery devoted to Taiwanese art.