Air traffic is back to normal at Taoyuan International Airport, after repairs on its southern runway wrapped up on Monday evening. Originally the repairs were supposed to end on Tuesday, but after hundreds of flight disruptions through the previous two days, the transport ministry gave an order to speed up the project. On Tuesday, lawmakers from several parties weighed in on the fiasco, criticizing the unpreparedness of the airport.

The check-in counter is packed. Runway repairs at Taoyuan International Airport have disrupted many flights over the past two days. Now that work has finally wrapped up, planes are once again taking off and landing on the repaired southern runway. Both runways at the airport are open again, but some passengers remain concerned.

Traveler
I’m the kind of person who’d rather be prepared, so I came here one hour earlier.

Traveler
I was afraid my flight would be affected.

Some arrived extra early to the airport in case their flight got disrupted. The runway repairs have become a hot topic in Taiwan. Originally the work had been scheduled to close the runway for 54 hours, from March 3 to March 5. But after an order was given to speed up the process, the construction work was completed by 9 p.m. on March 4, 19 hours ahead of schedule. And that’s not the end of the matter.

Lin Szu-ming
KMT lawmaker
Taoyuan International Airport is the gateway to Taiwan. How come there was such a major oversight? All we can say is that the Taoyuan International Airport Corporation and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications have a screw loose. It’s ludicrous. Could it be that there are major problems with the management of the airport? In four years it has dropped 69 spots in international rankings.

Hung Meng-kai
KMT lawmaker
We’ve seen negligence in management, mismanagement, and no planning for foreseeable disasters. Someone must take political responsibility for this.

Wang Kwo-tsai
Transport minister
Runway maintenance is a very important part of aviation safety. Taoyuan International Airport operates 24 hours a day, so runway maintenance will inevitably affect some flights. Though we had discussed the matter with airlines, passengers were not informed, so passengers had big complaints.

Rosalia Wu
DPP lawmaker
The Taoyuan International Airport Corporation shouldn’t hide behind the transport ministry. They should take responsibility. When it comes to routine runway repairs, they can’t just issue an announcement and call it a day.

Lawmakers from the KMT and DPP have voiced criticism of how the repairs were handled, stressing that, as the gateway to Taiwan, the airport shapes many people’s impression of the country.

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