Taipei airport woos jet-setters with fancy services

Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) will soon offer a number of services for wealthy business travelers.

The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) said there were plans to build an aircraft depot and passages to terminals for private jets.

Because of the airport’s proximity to downtown Taipei, it has become a destination for private jets. According to CAA statistics, a total of 367 private jets landed and departed from the airport during the past seven months.

“Businesspeople traveling frequently between Taipei, Tokyo and Shanghai are our target clients,” Civil Aeronautics Administration Deputy Director-General Chen Tien-tsyh (陳天賜) said.

Songshan airport’s plan to upgrade facilities for private jets came after a recent announcement by Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport that it would also start the trial operation of a private jet center next month, adding that the deluxe service would reduce the time for boarding procedures for international passengers from two hours to 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, Chuang I-chin, Taipei Songshan Airport Intelligent Library director, yesterday said that the library had attracted more than 20,000 readers since it opened in June.

Songshan airport opened the nation’s first airport library in an effort to diversify services for travelers.

The library, which is not staffed, is equipped with an automatic checkout system so travelers can serve themselves.

Locals and foreigners can borrow books using an EasyCard, the electronic card widely used in -Taipei to pay for public transport or buy products.

With publications ranging from travel and language to popular culture, Chaung said many use the library before boarding to find an ideal travel companion.

As almost all the library’s 10,000 books are in Chinese, she said, her priority is to build up a collection in foreign languages.

Citing the example of Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, which established the world’s first airport library last year, CAA officials said it was a smart way to showcase the country.

Source: http://www.taipeitimes.com