Taipei mayor proposes moving Songshan Airport to build AI park, challenger demands record

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an presented a proposal to shut Songshan Airport and transform the 300-hectare site into an AI park that would blend industry, housing and tourism, targeting roughly 65,000 new jobs and an annual economic output of NT$12 trillion. He suggested the upcoming third runway at Taoyuan International Airport, expected to be completed in 2033, could absorb the displaced traffic, though he did not identify a new location for the airport.

DPP mayoral contender Puma Shen pressed Chiang on the lack of tangible progress during his ten-year stint as a legislator and mayor, noting Chiang had previously dismissed a comparable idea as a rushed election promise. Candidates for Penghu County magistrate from both the KMT and DPP condemned the plan, arguing Songshan Airport is essential for island residents. Deputy Transportation Minister Chen Yen-po highlighted the airport’s role in international and domestic routes, while Deputy Interior Minister Ma Shih-yuan stressed its importance for search-and-rescue missions and said the city had not consulted the ministries. The exchange reflects the political stakes of urban redevelopment and transport policy ahead of the mayoral race.