Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport

Taipei's original Songshan Airport, hemmed in by the growing city, could not handle the jumbo-jet era, so Taiwan built a new gateway at Taoyuan as one of the government's Ten Major Construction Projects of the 1970s. Chiang Kai-shek International Airport opened in February 1979 with a single terminal modeled loosely on Washington Dulles.

It quickly became the island's dominant international gateway and a cornerstone of its export economy. Terminal 2 opened in 2000 as traffic soared, and in 2006 the airport was renamed Taiwan Taoyuan International, reflecting political change on the island.

Taoyuan grew into the twin fortress of China Airlines and EVA Air, whose long-haul networks and cargo fleets made the airport one of the world's leading freight hubs, moving the semiconductors and electronics that power the global economy. The long-awaited Taoyuan Airport MRT opened in 2017, finally providing a direct rail link to Taipei.

Observation decks added to Terminal 2 embraced the island's passionate aviation fan culture. The third terminal, a vast project designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, began partial operations in 2025. With a third runway planned, Taoyuan is positioning itself for a major leap in capacity.

Taoyuan operates two parallel runways flanking a growing terminal campus: Terminal 1 for many regional and low-cost services, Terminal 2 for the long-haul operations of home carriers China Airlines and EVA Air. The new Terminal 3 phasing in from 2025.

The airport is one of the world's top cargo hubs, its freighter aprons busy around the clock with semiconductor and electronics exports flown by China Airlines Cargo, EVA Air Cargo, and the global integrators. Transpacific and Southeast Asian banks dominate the schedule, and the airport MRT links the terminals directly with central Taipei.