Taoyuan Airport's Terminal 3 welcomes 1st passengers as north concourse trial begins

Taipei, Dec. 1 (CNA) Taoyuan Airport's under-construction Terminal 3 welcomed its first passengers Monday, as its north concourse began trial operations with the departure of three flights.

A total of 968 passengers boarded flights to Sapporo, Japan, operated separately by China Airlines and EVA Air, and a Starlux Airlines service to Bangkok, Thailand.

Speaking to reporters, Yang Wei-fuu (楊偉甫), chairman of Taoyuan International Airport Corp. (TIAC), expressed hope that the north concourse could be officially inaugurated by the end of the month.

He added that the company would collect as much traveler feedback as possible to ensure the best preparations are made before the official opening.

According to Yang, more flights will gradually begin using the new concourse during the trial period, when stress tests and rolling reviews will be conducted.

"Every boarding bridge will be used and operated in full to identify areas that need improvement or refinement," Yang said.

A passenger surnamed Hsu (徐), who said he walked from Terminal 1 to see the north concourse, praised the facility for its open and bright design, which he said was a more modern and advanced boarding area.

"It was worth the long wait," Hsu said.

New concourse, more services

On a social media post released Sunday, Deputy Minister of Transportation Lin Kuo-hsien (林國顯) said the north concourse is equipped with eight boarding gates, which are expected to boost the airport's annual passenger handling capacity by 5.8 million.

Lin wrote that the terminal will handle 45 million of the 80 million passengers expected to pass through the airport each year.

Designed by British architectural firm RSHP, the new concourse features high ceilings and a transparent layout that allows natural light to flood the space, Lin said in the Facebook post, adding that cafes and restaurants have already moved in.

The departure level (3rd floor) and arrival level (4th floor) are equipped with two-way moving walkways, reducing travel time from Terminal 2 to the farthest gates to about 15 minutes. Shuttle services are available for passengers with mobility needs.

However, as the main Terminal 3 building is still under construction, check-in and customs clearance must be completed at Terminal 2, and arriving passengers must collect baggage there, Lin said.

According to TAIC, Terminal 3 will open in phases, with the north concourse designated as the first area to begin operations. The main terminal building and the south concourse are expected to open after their completion in 2027.

Terminal 3 has experienced multiple delays since planning began, with the original completion target delayed to 2024 and then 2027. Construction challenges, including contractor recruitment issues, design revisions, and pandemic-related labor shortages, have repeatedly postponed the schedule.

The project's budget has also increased over time. Initially approved at NT$95.6 billion (US$3.05 billion) in 2020, rising material costs, labor shortages, and inflation have pushed the total projected cost above NT$100 billion.