TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — More than 70,000 travelers were expected to pass through Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Saturday (Jan. 14), causing long lines at immigration and safety checks.
The surge in traffic at Taiwan’s largest airport were linked to the end of COVID-19 restrictions and to the Jan. 20-30 Lunar New Year holiday, a peak period in international travel, with residents flying out for vacations and Taiwanese living overseas returning home to visit family.
The 72,316 expected to pass through the airport Saturday were a new record since Taiwan ended most COVID-related travel restrictions last October, Taoyuan International Airport Corporation (TIAC) said in a statement.
From 6 to 11 a.m., an average of 1,000 people passed through Terminal One per hour, with a total of 2,283 between 6 and 8 a.m., and 5,072 between 8 and 11 a.m., according to TIAC. The period between 6 and 11 a.m. also saw 47,6% of all outbound passengers move through the airport’s two terminals.
The company also mobilized extra staff, including security personnel, to make the movement of passengers though check-in and immigration flow more easily. Nevertheless, some travelers were surprised at the size of the crowds, having to wait in lines for security checks for 40 minutes to one hour, CNA reported.
