By KHT Staff. Planned charter connection between Kaohsiung and Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. Route shown is illustrative.
KAOHSIUNG — Proposed direct charter flights between Kaohsiung and Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (羽田機場) have renewed debate over whether southern Taiwan needs an airport that can operate 24 hours a day.
Democratic Progressive Party mayoral candidate and Legislator Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) announced Nov. 6 that charter services were planned to begin in February 2027. He said Japanese approval had been obtained, with regularly scheduled flights to be pursued afterward.
Tigerair Taiwan (台灣虎航; TWSE: 6757) confirmed it had submitted an application and expected to announce details by the end of November, NOWnews reported. Flight times, fares, and booking arrangements have not been announced.
Kaohsiung International Airport (高雄國際機場), in Siaogang District (小港區), already has direct flights to Tokyo’s Narita Airport (成田機場). Haneda offers closer access to central Tokyo.
The announcement also brought competing airport proposals back into the mayoral campaign. According to FTV’s Nov. 6 report, carried by Yahoo News, Lai accused Kuomintang candidate Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) of dismissing his earlier proposal for a 24-hour airport before advancing a similar position herself.
Ko rejected that characterization, saying she had consistently supported an airport without a nighttime curfew.
The existing airport prohibits civilian aircraft takeoffs and landings between midnight and 6:30 a.m. to reduce noise affecting nearby residential areas. FTV reported that late-night departures before the curfew were being considered for the Haneda charters, but no timetable has been released.
A separate airport operating around the clock remains a proposal. In August, Civil Aeronautics Administration (交通部民用航空局) Director-General Ho Shu-ping (何淑萍) said the existing airport’s curfew would remain, citing residents’ environmental quality and noise concerns.
Ho also outlined the difficulties of developing another airport. Land-based and offshore options would require assessments of airspace and site conditions; determining runway orientation alone would require five to 10 years of wind data, United Daily News reported.
Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), responding to the campaign exchanges, called for longer-term planning, FTV reported.
