Veterans Affairs Council Minister Feng Shih-kuan (???), who served as the Taiwan’s defense minister from 2016 to 2018, expressed opposition Monday to a proposal to close Taipei’s Songshan Airport and replace it with a public park.
Discussion of shuttering the downtown airport reemerged after Enoch Wu (???), the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate for January’s legislative by-election in Taipei, unveiled it as a central campaign pledge earlier in December.
Similar proposals to transform Songshan Airport have been mooted by DPP candidates in the capital for over 20 years, and, despite the party holding Taiwan’s presidency since 2016, little progress has been made in the interim.
Speaking with reporters on the sidelines of a legislative session, Feng said it had always been his stance that the airport, designated as a wartime backup landing and take-off site for the Air Force, should not be relocated.
“Whenever our aircraft was facing a lack of fuel or poor weather, it would choose to land at Songshan Airport instead,” Feng said, describing the proposed relocation as “out of the question.”
Responding to Feng’s comments at a press conference later on Monday, Wu said he would propose establishing an ad hoc government unit to create a comprehensive plan to address the national security, transportation, and residential implications of relocating Songshan Airport.
Wu, who is running to fill the legislative seat vacated by Kuomintang (KMT) Taipei mayor-elect Chiang Wan-an (???), has also argued that the closure would be an opportunity for urban renewal due to the removal of building height limits.
According to Wu, it would also create room for a green zone similar to the Daan Forest Park and turn the area into the “lungs of the city.”
Wu’s KMT opponent, Taipei City Councilor Wang Hung-wei (???), has questioned the feasibility of Wu’s plans, arguing that the airport provides efficient connections for residents of Taiwan’s outlying islands.
Meanwhile, KMT Legislator Alex Fai (???) said earlier in December that unnamed sources had told him the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) was against relocating the airport.
The AIT would rely on an airport in the heart of Taipei to extract U.S. citizens in an emergency, Fai said.
However, an AIT spokesperson later told CNA that relocating Songshan Airport was a decision for the government of Taiwan.
“Despite recent public comments to the contrary, AIT’s position is that decisions related to Songshan Airport rest with the relevant officials here in Taiwan,” said in the email response.
AIT represents U.S. interests in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties.
Taipei Songshan Airport is a regional airport and military airbase located in the capital city’s Songshan District.
The civilian section of Songshan Airport has scheduled flights to domestic destinations in Taiwan and international destinations, including Seoul, Tokyo, and select cities in mainland China.
In addition, the airport’s single runway is used by certain units of Taiwan’s Air Force located at Songshan.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel