Kaohsiung International Airport () is an international airport located in Siaogang District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, also known as Siaogang Airport (). With 5.8 million passengers in 2024, it is the second busiest airport in Taiwan, after Taoyuan. The airport has a single east–west runway and two terminals: one international and one domestic.

History Early years Originally built as an Imperial Japanese Army Air Squadron base in 1942 during the Japanese rule era of Taiwan, Kaohsiung Airport retained its military purpose when the Republic of China government first took control of Taiwan in 1945. Due to the need for civil transportation in southern Taiwan, it was demilitarised and converted into a domestic civil airport in 1965, and further upgraded to the status an international airport in 1969, with regular international flights starting in 1972.

During the 1970s and 1980s, direct international flights were rare at the airport, with Hong Kong and Tokyo being the only two destinations. Since the early 1990s, dedicated connection flights to Taipei were inaugurated, bringing convenience to the south as Taipei had more international flights. These contributed to a steady growth in airport passenger and flight movements. A new terminal dedicated to international flights was opened in 1997.

In summer 1998, EVA Air opened a direct flight between Kaohsiung and Los Angeles, but it was discontinued only after six months.

Development since the 2000s Since 2009, the number of passengers has been recovering due to the opening of regular scheduled cross-strait flights to China, as well as the rise of low cost carriers.

Airlines and destinations

Statistics

+Operations and statisticsYearPassengermovementsAirfreightmovements (tons)Aircraftmovement20166,416,68171,447.857,44620176,479,18381,555.351,76820186,973,84573,541.660,15520197,506,75364,676.864,01520201,891,76246,506.326,4752021836,59457,087.316,31720221,238,67446,312.520,66620234,225,40340,018.440,51620245,865,41342,629.951,94020256,971,16253,442.759,057

+ Domestic routes from Kaohsiung (2025) Rank Airport Passengers Carriers 1 Penghu 777,991 2 Kinmen 404,140 3 Qimei 17,681 4 Hualien 17,070 5 Wang-an 1,766

+ Busiest international routes from Kaohsiung (2025) Rank Airport Passengers Carriers 1 Hong Kong 1,253,468 Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, EVA Air, HK Express 2 Tokyo–Narita 563,125 China Airlines, EVA Air, Thai AirAsia, Tigerair Taiwan, United 3 Osaka–Kansai 562,164 China Airlines, EVA Air, Tigerair Taiwan, Peach, Scoot 4 Seoul–Incheon 415,460 Asiana Airlines, China Airlines, EVA Air, T'way Air 5 Macau 324,799 Air Macau, EVA Air, Tigerair Taiwan 6 Naha 242,680 China Airlines, Tigerair Taiwan 7 Ho Chi Minh City 221,528 Vietnam Airlines, VietJet Air 8 Hanoi 219,186 Vietnam Airlines, VietJet Air 9 Shanghai–Pudong 190,747 China Airlines, EVA Air, Juneyao Air, Spring Airlines 10 Fukuoka 195,040 China Airlines, Eva Air, Tigerair Taiwan

Accidents and incidents On 15 February 1969, a Douglas C-47B B-241 of Far Eastern Air Transport was damaged beyond economic repair in an accident at Kaohsiung International Airport. On 27 June 1989, a Cessna 404 Titan of Formosa Airlines on its way to Wang-an, Penghu crashed into nearby Cianjhen District streets shortly after takeoff. All 12 people on board were killed; there were no ground casualties.Formosa Airlines . Baaa-acro.com.

Ground transportation

Rail: The airport is served by Kaohsiung Metro at , providing access to Taiwan Railway at and Taiwan High Speed Rail at . Coach: There is a one-way coach from Kaohsiung International Airport to Fangliao and Kenting. Local bus: Both terminals are served by local buses.

See also Civil Aviation Administration (Taiwan) Transportation in Taiwan List of airports in Taiwan

Footnotes

References

External links

Kaohsiung International Airport official website Guide to Kaohsiung Airport Office of “E-VAT Refund”