Taoyuan airport to face heavy traffic in typhoon's wake

Taipei, July 11 (CNA) Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport urged passengers on Wednesday to confirm their flight times before departing for the airport because it will be facing heavy traffic as it resumes operations in the wake of Typhoon Maria.

In a statement issued Wednesday, Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Co. (TTIAC), which oversees the country's main gateway, said 87 flights had been delayed and 32 flights had been canceled as of 12:30 p.m. because of the typhoon.

As the airport works through the backlog of flights, several schedule changes have been made and passengers should confirm their flight times with their respective airlines before heading out the door, TTIAC Senior Vice President Jerry Dann (但昭璧) was cited as saying in the statement.

Because of the backlog, Dann expected the airport to be operating at peak capacity for most of Wednesday and into early Thursday morning.

As of 12:30 p.m., the airport was expected to handle 632 flights between 8 a.m. Wednesday and early Thursday morning, 344 of them inbound flights and the other 288 outbound flights, Dann said.

Peak passenger volume was likely after 1:30 p.m., and Dann hoped passengers will be patient if they experience overcrowding.

Before regular takeoffs and landings resumed on Wednesday, the company fully inspected the airport's runways, aprons and terminals and confirmed that everything was normal, according to the statement.