Typhoon, National Day to cause flight disruptions at Taoyuan airport

Taipei, Sept. 29 (CNA) Taoyuan International Airport may experience flight disruptions in the first 10 days of October due to Typhoon Krathon and military airshows and rehearsals for Republic of China National Day celebrations, the airport's operator said Sunday.

A response center was established following the issuance of a sea warning for Krathon on Sunday morning, Taoyuan International Airport Corp. said in a statement, and it urged passengers to remain alert to the possibility of disruptions caused by the storm in the coming days.

In addition, flight schedules may be subject to changes during periods when the Air Force conducts rehearsals and holds the final airshow for National Day on Oct. 10, it said.

Though the planes rehearsing for National Day celebrations are not landing or taking off at the Taoyuan airport, their paths in air space over northern Taiwan could affect the flight paths of aircraft arriving at or departing from Taoyuan, a company official said.

Taoyuan International Airport flight schedules could be affected by the Air Force flights on Oct. 2 and Oct. 4 from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., on Oct. 6 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and on Oct. 10 from 8 a.m. to noon, the company said.

The company warned that flight schedules could be most affected on Oct. 6 due to the rehearsal period coinciding with peak arrival and departure hours, and it advised passengers to stay in contact with the airlines they are flying.

To minimize the possible impact, the company said, it will adjust or cancel routine runway inspections and cargo, maintenance, and business jet flights to reserve runway capacity for passenger aircraft.

The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) will also coordinate with nearby air navigation services to enhance air control, while carriers have been asked to increase fuel loads on arriving flights, according to the airport.

Songshan Airport in Taipei could face similar disruptions, as some of the Air Force aircraft will take off and land at Taipei Songshan Airport.

That could lead to flight disruptions on Oct. 2, 4, 6 and 10 similar to the affected time periods in Taoyuan, according to the CAA.