Airport Vehicles and Gangways in Tainan Airport Apron 20130810

Tainan Airport (; formally "") is a commercial airport located in South District,

Tainan Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality in southern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and commonly called the "Taiwan Prefecture, ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. It is shared with

Republic of China Air Force The Republic of China Air Force ( Chinese, 中華民國空軍), or the ROCAF; known colloquially as the Taiwanese Air Force ( Chinese, 臺灣空軍) by Western or mainland Chinese media, or commonly referred as the National Military Air Force ...

Tainan

AFB AFB may refer to: * Armed Forces Bank, a US-based financial institution for military members and families * Armed Forces Bikers, a UK-based motorcycle charity to assist former members of the armed forces * Acid-fast bacilli * Air Force Base * A ...

. In January 2011, the Civil Aeronautics Administration approved the airport to handle international flights.

History

20th Century

In 1935 during Japanese rule, Tainan Airport was proposed by the

Tainan Prefecture was one of the administrative divisions of Taiwan during the Japanese rule. The prefecture consisted of modern-day Tainan City, Chiayi City, Chiayi County, and Yunlin County. Population Administrative divisions Cities and districts In ...

government due to the need for civil transportation in

southern Taiwan The regions of Taiwan are based on historical administrative divisions. However, most of the definitions are not precise. Division into two regions * Eastern and Western Taiwan: the Central Mountain Range separates Taiwan into east and west. :* ' ...

. The airport was opened on June 26, 1937, with regular flights to Matsuyama Airport (modern-day

Taipei Songshan Airport Taipei Songshan Airport is a city airport and military airbase located in Songshan District, Taipei, Songshan District, Taipei, Taiwan. The airport covers an area of . The civilian section of Songshan Airport has scheduled flights to domestic ...

) operated by

Japan Air Transport was the national airline of the Empire of Japan from 1928 to 1938. History Commercial aviation began in Japan with the privately held Japan Air Transport Institute, which pioneered passenger service between Sakai, Osaka and Tokushima, Tokushim ...

. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

broke out, this airport was converted to a base for the

Tainan Air Group was a fighter aircraft and airbase garrison unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the Pacific campaign of World War II. The flying portion of the unit was heavily involved in many of the major campaigns and battles of the first year of ...

. During the war this airport was named ''Eineisho Airport'' by the

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...

, to distinguish it from two other, smaller airports located in what is nowadays known as Yongkang and

Gueiren District Gueiren District, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency () is a rural District (Taiwan), district in southern Tainan, Taiwan. It is home to the Tainan HSR station. History After the Retro ...

. After the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

government took over Taiwan, this airport was handed over to the

while still maintaining civil flights. Between 1955 and 1979 the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

was stationed at this airport, once equipped with

tactical nuclear weapons A tactical nuclear weapon (TNW) or non-strategic nuclear weapon (NSNW) is a nuclear weapon that is designed to be used on a battlefield in military situations, mostly with friendly forces in proximity and perhaps even on contested friendly territ ...

on F-4 aircraft from

Clark AB Clark Air Base is a Philippine Air Force base in Luzon, located west of Angeles City, and about northwest of Metro Manila. It was previously operated by the U.S. Air Force and, before that, the U.S. Army, from 1903 to 1991. The base cove ...

with pilots from Clark's

405th Fighter Wing The 405th Air Expeditionary Wing (405 AEW) is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command. It may be activated or inactivated at any time. Currently, it is believed that the 405 AEW is inactive. History : ''For ...

on alert. From 12 March - 1966 to 31 July 1974. The

12th Fighter-Bomber Squadron 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

Deployed from

Kadena Air Base (International Air Transport Association airport code, IATA: DNA, International Civil Aviation Organization airport code, ICAO: RODN) is a United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena, Okinawa, Kadena and Chatan, Okinawa, Chatan and the ...

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

, to Tainan Air Base, from 27 January – 19 February 1955, 3 September – 30 November 1955, equipped with

North American F-86 Sabre The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing Sov ...

, 3 March to 2 April 1955,

26th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron Sixth is the ordinal form of the number six. * The Sixth Amendment, to the U.S. Constitution * A keg of beer, equal to 5 U.S. gallons or barrel * The fraction Music * Sixth interval (music)s: ** major sixth, a musical interval ** minor sixth ...

was also deployed from

Naha Air Base , formally known as the , is an air base of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force formerly under control of the United States Air Force. It is located at Naha Airport on the Oroku Peninsula in Naha, Okinawa, Japan. History Imperial Period Naha Air ...

, to Tainan Air Base. In November 1956, the 336th Fighter-Day Squadron Deployed from

, to Tainan AB. On 20 October 1957, the

USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

6200th Air Base Wing (also known as the Tainan Air Base Group) was activated to support the 7th Tactical Missile Squadron (later redesignated the 868th Tactical Missile Squadron which was coming from the CONUS. Lieutenant colonel Carl C. Lee became the first commander of the Tainan Air Base Group. Another redesignation on 18 August 1958 changed the unit's name to the 6214th Air Base Group). On 1958, the A Company of the

802nd Engineer Aviation Battalion 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. Etymology English ''eight'', from Old English '', æhta'', Proto-Germanic ''*ahto'' is a direct continuation of Proto-Indo-European '' *oḱtṓ(w)-'', and as such cognate wi ...

US Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wor ...

was deployed to Tainan Air Force Base for infrastructure work, construction of new base buildings, and laying of new concrete runways. The

868th Tactical Missile Squadron The 868th Tactical Missile Training Squadron is an inactive unit of the United States Air Force. Its last assignment was with the 868th Tactical Missile Training Group, at Davis Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, where it conducted training with ...

was stationed here from 1958 to 1962, which operated

MGM-1 Matador The Martin MGM-1 Matador was the first operational surface-to-surface cruise missile designed and built by the United States. It was developed after World War II, drawing upon their wartime experience with creating the Republic-Ford JB-2, a ...

s, probably under the ultimate control of the

United States Taiwan Defense Command The United States Taiwan Defense Command (USTDC; zh, t=美軍協防台灣司令部) was a sub-unified command of the United States Armed Forces operating in Taiwan from December 1954 to April 1979. History The United States Taiwan Defense Comm ...

. On 7 April 1965, the

552d Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing The 552d Air Control Wing is an operational wing of the United States Air Force. It has been based at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, since July 1976, operating the Boeing E-3 Sentry. It includes the 552d Operations Group, 552d Maintenance G ...

dispatched a

Flight Flight or flying is the motion (physics), motion of an Physical object, object through an atmosphere, or through the vacuum of Outer space, space, without contacting any planetary surface. This can be achieved by generating aerodynamic lift ass ...

from

McClellan Air Force Base McClellan Air Force Base (1935–2001) is a former United States Air Force base in California, located in the North Highlands, California, North Highlands area of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County, northeast of Sacramento, Califo ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

to Tainan Air Base. From 8 February 1966, the 6214th Air Base Group changed the unit's name to the 6214th Combat Support Group. From 20 November 1965, the

523rd Tactical Fighter Squadron The 523d Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 27th Operations Group stationed at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico. During World War II, its predecessor unit, the 17th Bombardment Squa ...

of the

maintained a Detachment at Tainan Air Base (Initially equipped with

F-100D Super Sabre The North American F-100 Super Sabre is an American supersonic jet fighter aircraft designed and produced by the aircraft manufacturer North American Aviation. The first of the Century Series of American jet fighters, it was the first United ...

, converted to

F-4D Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber that was developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bowers ...

in 1970). The following are the units that the 405th Fighter Wing once stationed the detachment at Tainan Air Base in Taiwan： * 523rd Tactical Fighter Squadron (Tail Code: PN) (20 November 1965 – 31 August 1973) (F-100D, F-4D) * 90th Tactical Fighter Squadron (Tail Code: PN) (31 August 1973 – 31 July 1974) (F-4) The

of the U.S. Air Force sent units of the

510th Fighter Squadron The 510th Fighter Squadron is part of the 31st Operations Group at Aviano Air Base, Italy. It is a combat-ready F-16CM fighter squadron prepared to deploy and fly combat sorties as tasked by NATO and US combatant commanders. The squadron wa ...

equipped with

fighters to Tainan Air Base from December 1959 to August 1967. On 13 May 1966 – 21 July 1966, the

VMFA-314 Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314 (VMFA-314) is a United States Marine Corps Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, F-35C Lightning II squadron. The squadron, known as the "Black Knights", is based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California a ...

and

VMFA-323 Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 323 (VMFA-323) is an aircraft carrier-based aviation squadron of the United States Marine Corps. The squadron is equipped with the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C Hornet and is based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar ...

of the

US Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the Marines, maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expedi ...

Fighter/Attack Squadrons in

MCAS Iwakuni is a joint Japan Maritime Self-Defense Forces and United States Marine Corps air station located in the Nishiki river delta, southeast of Iwakuni Station in the city of Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. History The Japanese government ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

were

Temporary duty assignment Temporary duty travel (TDY), also sometimes referred to as Temporary Additional Duty (TAD) in the US Navy and US Marine Corps, is a duty status designation reflecting a US Government Employee's official travel or assignment at a location other th ...

(TDY) to Tainan Air Base. They were supported logistically by the 6214th Combat Support Group in support of the 327th Air Division. From 10 June 1966 - 15 December 1969, the

509th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 509th Tactical Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 10th Tactical Fighter Wing at RAF Alconbury, England, where it was inactivated on 30 December 1992. The squadron was first activated as ...

deployed F-102As Detachment from Clark Air Base, Philippines to Tainan Air Base. Air Asia Corporation, headquartered at this airport, prospered during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

due to the need for aircraft maintenance by the United States Armed Forces. During the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

the United States deployed nuclear weapons on Taiwan. Nuclear weapons are known to have been stored at

Tainan Air Force Base Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a special municipality in southern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and commonly called the " prefectural capital" for its over 260-year histo ...

until their withdrawal was ordered in 1972. On 31 August 1973, the

F-4D The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber that was developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bowers ...

Detachment of the

withdrew from Tainan Air Base to

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, and changed to the 90th Tactical Fighter Squadron deployed a detachment to Tainan, until 31 July 1974. On 31 July 1974, the 6214th Combat Support Group changed name to the 6214th Air Base Group. From 1 December 1974, the 6214th Air Base Group was reorganized to the 6214th Air Base Squadron, and Tainan AB had been placed in caretaker status. On 31 May 1975, the 6214th Air Base Squadron was dissolved. File:1959年，台南空軍基地內的美軍TM-61C屠牛式飛彈.jpg, The TM-61C missile deployed at Tainan Air Base by the

in 1959 File:F-102 deployed to Tainan Air Base, Taiwan in 1969.jpg,

Convair Convair, previously Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation, was an American aircraft-manufacturing company that later expanded into rockets and spacecraft. The company was formed in 1943 by the merger of Consolidated Aircraft and Vultee ...

F-102A-51-CO Delta Dagger 56-0968 was ready to take off from Tainan Air Base in 1969 File:Tainan Air Base 1969.jpg, Tainan AB in 1969 File:Tainan Air Base in 1969 (2).jpg, Tainan AB in 1969 File:Tainan Air Base in 1969 (3).jpg, Tainan Air Base Theater with Air Asia in the background, 1969 File:台南空軍基地，美國空軍第6214空軍基地大隊招牌.jpg, Signboard of USAF 6214th Air Base Group in Tainan AB, 1974 File:台南空軍基地，美國空軍第6214空軍基地大隊總部.jpg, Headquarters of the 6214th Air Base Group, 1974

21st Century

Tainan Airport was the third busiest domestic airport after

and

Kaohsiung Airport Kaohsiung International Airport ( zh, t=高雄國際機場, labels=no.) is a medium-sized international airport in Siaogang District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, also known as Siaogang Airport ( zh, t=小港機場, labels=no). With 4.2 million passen ...

until the

Taiwan High Speed Rail Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) is a high-speed railway network in Taiwan, which consists of a single line that runs approximately along the western coast of the island, from the capital Taipei in the north to the southern city of Kaohsiung. Its c ...

was opened. With passenger numbers dropping significantly,

Far Eastern Air Transport FAT Taiwan Inc., () doing business as Far Eastern Air Transport (FAT), was an airline with its head office in Songshan District, Taipei, Taiwan (Republic of China). Established in 1957, it operated domestic services from Taipei and Kaohsiung ...

suspended its service between Tainan Airport and

on 1 March 2008, ending the carrier's 50-year service history at Tainan Airport. Its competitor,

TransAsia Airways TransAsia Airways (TNA, until January 1992 known by its Chinese-translated name Foshing Airlines;For historical pictures with "Foshing Airlines" on it, see: ) was a Taiwanese airline based in Neihu District in Taipei. Though the company starte ...

, also had to downgrade the aircraft it used from a jet (

Airbus A320 The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus. The A320 was launched in March 1984, Maiden flight, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France. The first membe ...

) to a

turboprop A turboprop is a Gas turbine, gas turbine engine that drives an aircraft Propeller (aeronautics), propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction drive, reduction gearbox, gas compressor, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propellin ...

(

ATR 72 The ATR 72 is a twin-engine turboprop, short-haul regional airliner developed and produced in France and Italy by aircraft manufacturer ATR. The number "72" in its name is derived from the aircraft's typical standard seating capacity of 72 pa ...

) to maintain revenue, and finally decided to end service to the airport as of 1 August 2008. Because of the shared use with the Air Force, the airport terminal was built quite a distance away from the airfield. Passengers disembark at the

apron An apron is a garment worn over other clothing to cover the front of the body to protect from liquids. They have several purposes, most commonly as a functional accessory that protects clothes and skin from stains and marks. However, other typ ...

and board shuttle buses to the terminal. The shared use with the Air Force also means some flights have to be cancelled when the Air Force conducts exercises. In January 2011, the Civil Aeronautics Administration approved the airport to handle international flights. The first scheduled International flights began on 18 July 2013 to

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

, with a 3 times weekly service by

China Airlines China Airlines (CAL; zh, t=中華航空, poj=Tiong-hôa Hâng-khong, p=Zhōnghuá Hángkōng, first=t, c=, s=) is the state-owned flag carrier of the Taiwan, Republic of China (Taiwan). It is one of Taiwan's two major airlines, along with E ...

using

Boeing 737-800 The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as 737NG, or 737 Next Gen, is a twinjet, twin-engine narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Launched in 1993 as the third-generation derivative of the Boeing 737, it ha ...

s. Since March 2014 this flight's frequency has increased but the aircraft used was downgraded to smaller Embraer E-190, operated by China Airlines' subsidiary

Mandarin Airlines Mandarin Airlines () is a Taiwanese regional airline based in Taipei, Taiwan whose parent company is China Airlines. The airline operates domestic and regional international flights, while its parent company focuses on international operations. ...

Airlines and destinations

Based units

* 1st Tactical Fighter Wing ** 1st Tactical Fighter Squadron –

AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-kuo The AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-Kuo (), commonly known as the Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF), is a multirole combat aircraft named after Chiang Ching-kuo, the late President of the Republic of China. The aircraft made its first flight in 1989. It ente ...

** 3rd Tactical Fighter Squadron –

** 9th Tactical Fighter Squadron –

** 1st Maintenance and Supply Group ** 1st Base Service Group **Magong Air Base Service Squadron ** 1st Military police Squadron ** 9th Military police Squadron

Accidents and incidents

*On 24 February 1969, Far Eastern Air Transport Flight 104, a Handley Page Dart Herald with 36 passengers and crew board, crashed while attempting an emergency landing at Tainan. Everyone on board was killed. *On 16 April 1977, a

FEAT Feat or FEAT may refer to: * ''FEAT'' (album), a 2012 The Hood Internet album * Feat (d20 System), concept in role-playing game system d20 * '' Feat (stato di natura)'', a 2020 album by Francesca Michielin * An abbreviation for ''featuring'', us ...

Douglas C-47A The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II. During the war the C-47 was used for troop ...

B-247 was damaged beyond economic repair in a landing accident. *On 21 March 2003,

flight 543 (Airbus A321 registration B-22603) on a flight from

to Tainan Airport, collided with a truck that was on runway 36R. None of the 175 passengers and crew were killed or injured but the two occupants in the truck were injured and the aircraft was written off. *In 2015 two

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

F/A-18C Hornet The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather supersonic, twinjet, twin-engine, carrier-based aircraft, carrier-capable, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a Fighter aircraft, fighter and attack airc ...

s made an unscheduled landing at the base after one of them developed an engine anomaly in-flight. The aircraft were accommodated in an air force hangar until a C-130 full of American technicians could be flown in to check them out.

References

External links

Wikimapia - Tainan Airport

Web Site - Tainan Airport
{{authority control Airports in Taiwan Airports established in 1937 Buildings and structures in Tainan Republic of China Air Force