The latest statistics released by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications showed that the nation’s aviation industry suffered greatly last year, with the number of passengers decreasing by more than 10 percent.
The ministry collected data provided by state-run agencies under it, including the Taiwan Area National Freeway Bureau, the Civil Aeronautics Administration, the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA), the Bureau of High Speed Rail, the Directorate-General of Highways, the Tourism Bureau as well as the Keelung and Kaohsiung harbors.
The statistics showed that passengers boarding domestic airlines for domestic and international flights had dropped by about 11 percent to 22.1 million.
International passengers at all airports also dropped 6.2 percent to 25.3 million. The number of visitors entering through Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport was down 6.4 percent to 21.9 million, while at Kaohsiung International Aiport volume dropped 27.2 percent to 4.16 million.
Cargo handled by all airports dropped 7.1 percent to 1.59 million tonnes.
The number of foreign visitors reached 3.85 million last year, an increase of about 13 percent from 2007. About 1.78 million came for tourism. Business travelers dropped 5 percent to 881,000.
Domestic flights continued to suffer as a result of the high-speed rail. Last year, the number of passengers on domestic flights dropped 22.5 percent from the previous year.
Ministry statistics meanwhile showed an increase in the use of public land transportation systems. The number of passengers taking the high speed rail rose from about 15.56 million in 2007 to 30.58 million last year, close to a 100 percent increase. Despite the impressive passenger growth last year, the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp announced on Friday it would reduce the daily train runs from 942 to 816, starting on March 16.
Statistics showed that passengers of the TRA system rose 5.3 percent to about 179 million. Passengers on the Taipei MRT System grew 8.1 percent to approximately 450 million. The number of passengers on city or highway bus systems reached 100.5 million last year, an increase of 3.2 percent from 2007. This represented the greatest increase in bus system passengers in the past six years.
Statistics also showed a decline in small-size passenger vehicles on freeways. The number fell from 551 million in 2007 to 530.6 million last year. Toll fees collected last year reached NT$20.48 billion (US$585.19 million), or NT$1.4 billion less than in 2007.
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