By KHT Staff. AI-generated illustration of what a proposed offshore airport might look like. NOTE: This is not an approved design or a depiction of a selected site.
KAOHSIUNG — Kaohsiung has received a preliminary feasibility report on a proposed 24-hour international airport, Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said Wednesday, Sept. 30, according to the China Times.
Chen said the city commissioned an overseas consultancy with experience planning offshore airports. The preliminary assessment covered hydrology, airspace and other requirements, but the report did not identify a proposed site or disclose a construction budget, timetable, consultant name or contract value.
The announcement also did not indicate that Taiwan’s central government had approved the proposal. Chen said the city would continue discussions with central authorities over the long-term plan.
Chen disclosed the study while responding to Kaohsiung City Councilor Lee Shin-Chin (李順進), who asked about the future role of the existing airport and related infrastructure in southern Kaohsiung.
Kaohsiung International Airport, commonly called Siaogang Airport (小港機場), is in Siaogang District (小港區) and cannot operate around the clock. Civil aircraft are barred from taking off or landing between midnight and 6:30 a.m. to limit noise near residential areas, as the Economic Daily News again pointed out in August.
Chen argued that the curfew and the airport’s current capacity don’t meet the longer-term needs of southern Taiwan’s expanding semiconductor supply chain. He cited demand for cargo flights, aviation logistics and direct passenger connections to major destinations in Europe and the United States.
He also framed additional airport capacity in southern Taiwan as a resilience and national-security issue. Chen said an earthquake or other natural disaster affecting northern airports could disrupt the movement of semiconductor products and personnel, while a southern facility could help distribute that risk.
Technical and approval hurdles remain
Chen said the unnamed consultancy had previously participated in work connected with Hong Kong International Airport and had experience with land reclamation and offshore airport projects. He acknowledged that the assessment was costly but did not give a figure.
Civil Aeronautics Administration Director-General Ho Shu-ping (何淑萍) cautioned on Aug. 26 that a new airport would involve complex airspace, marine and engineering questions whether built on land or reclaimed offshore. Runway orientation could require five to 10 years of wind data, while reclamation would also require geological studies, according to Economic Daily News.
The proposed 24-hour airport is separate from an approved terminal redevelopment at the existing Siaogang facility. The project’s official website says the Executive Yuan approved the first-phase construction plan in 2023 and that design work is underway.
The preliminary city study therefore represents an early planning step rather than approval to build. Further central-government review, technical studies and decisions on location, financing and environmental impacts would be required before the proposal could advance.
