About 20 percent of international arrivals at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport were yesterday picked up by friends or relatives, Taoyuan International Airport Corp said, after the Central Epidemic Command Center on Saturday eased a rule that incoming travelers must take designated taxis to their quarantine location.
The airport also began accepting transiting passengers on their way to a third country after the service had been suspended for more than one year.
The company said that 958 travelers arrived at the airport during peak hours from 5am to 7am, 20 percent of whom were picked up by friends or relatives after completing a saliva rapid COVID-19 test.
Photo courtesy of Taoyuan International Airport Corp
People who pick up a family member or friend were asked to wait in designated areas inside the terminals.
Many of them told reporters that they were glad that the policy was changed, allowing them to welcome their family members or friends.
Company president Jerry Dan (但昭璧) said that operations at the airport proceeded smoothly on the first day of the new policy thanks to cooperation of international arrivals and their friends or relatives, as well as all staff involved.
“We ask people who come to the airport to take advantage of a 30-minute free parking service at the airport’s parking garage. This ensures that traffic around the terminals will not be disrupted,” Dan said.
The airport also welcomed four transit passengers arriving on three EVA Airways flights. They were scheduled to depart for San Francisco and Vancouver last night.
The number of transit passengers at the airport is expected to rise when more airlines become familiar with the new transit policy, the company said.
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